A short film titled 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know', directed by Chidanand S Naik and produced by four students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has been chosen to compete in the prestigious La Cinef Competitive section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by FTII (@ftiiofficial)

The film, crafted by Chidanand S Naik, will vie for recognition alongside 17 other shorts, aiming for one of three La Cinef prizes. Winners will be announced on May 23 at the Bunuel Theatre. 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' delves into the upheaval caused in a village when an elderly woman absconds with a rooster. Suraj Thakur handled the cinematography, while Manoj V was in charge of editing, and Abhishek Kadam oversaw the sound design.

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FTII, located in Pune, shared the exhilarating news on social media, extending heartfelt congratulations to the talented students.

This year's La Cinef section at Cannes features a diverse array of entries from around the globe, including submissions from Lebanon, China, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Palestine, Czech Republic, South Korea, Australia, Israel, the US, UK, and France. The esteemed jury panel comprises Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Paolo Moretti, Claudine Nougaret, Vladimir Perisic, and Belgian actress Lubna Azabal.