In a significant achievement for Indian cinema, Chidananda S Naik’s film – Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know – has clinched the first prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival’s La Cinef competition. Naik, a doctor from Mysuru turned filmmaker, created the film during his studies at Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). The story, based on a Kannada folk tale, revolves around an old woman who steals a rooster, causing the sun to cease rising in her village.
Reflecting on his journey, Naik told Variety, “We had only four days to make the film. Despite being advised against it, I was determined to bring this folk tale from Karnataka to life. These are the stories I grew up with and have always carried in my heart.”
La Cinef, in its 27th edition this year, selected 18 short films out of 2,263 submissions from film schools worldwide. This included 14 live-action and 4 animated shorts. The first prize comes with a €15,000 grant, while the second and third prizes receive €11,250 and €7,500, respectively. The winning films will be showcased at the Cinema du Pantheon on June 3 and the MK2 Quai de Seine on June 4.
The second prize was awarded to two films – Out of the Widow Through the Wall – by Asya Segalovich from Columbia University and – The Chaos She Left Behind – by Nikos Kolioukos from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. The third prize went to Bharat-born Mansi Maheshwari for her animation film – Bunnyhood.
Naik’s victory marks Bharat’s second La Cinef first prize in five years, following Ashmita Guha Neogi’s win in 2020 with her film – CatDog – also from FTII.
