New Delhi: The Oscars are every filmmaker’s dream stage, and with less than 10 Indian winners, the feat seems unachievable for most. However, students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have achieved a major milestone. A student film, Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know, directed by Chidananda S Naik, has been qualified for the Live Action Short Film category at the Oscars 2025. You read that right!
Not only this, Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know also won a series of other accolades including the La Cinef Selection at the Cannes Film Festival. Here is everything you need to know about this Kannada film.
About Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know
Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know is a Kannada short film inspired by Indian folk stories and traditions. Revolving around an elderly woman who steals a rooster, the plot follows the aftermath. The theft ends up disrupting the regular cycle of sunlight in the village, pushing the community into uncontrollable chaos. In order the restore peace and balance, the woman’s family is exiled and ordered to retrieve the rooster.
Student cast and crew behind Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know
Produced and directed by Chidananda S Naik, the crew of the film includes – Suraj Thakur (cinematography), Manoj V (editing) and Abhishek Kadam (sound design), the crew managed to shoot the entire movie at night. The jury at La Cinef Jury at Cannes described the film asn an illumination that, from the depths of the night, shines with humour and a keen sense of direction.
While speaking about the film, the director, Chidananda S Naik, said, “I have aspired to tell this story for as long as I can remember. Our goal was to recreate the experience of not merely hearing these stories but of genuinely living them—an experience I hope resonates with audiences around the globe.”
