Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know...

Last updated
Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know...
Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know.webp
Official poster
Directed byChidanada S Naik
Written byChidanada S Naik
Starring
  • Jahangeer M S
  • Vishwas B S
  • Vasudha Bharighat
CinematographySuraj Thakur
Edited byManoj Venkatesh
Music byAbhishek Kadam
Production
company
Running time
16 minutes
CountryIndia

Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... is a Kannada short film directed by Chidananda S. Naik. It was produced as part of his year-end exercise at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the 16-minute film won the La Cinef award for Best Short at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Contents

Synopsis

The film is about an elderly woman who steals a prized rooster from her village, causing a disturbance that plunges the community into darkness. The villagers then go on a mission to find the rooster and bring back the light. The entire film is shot at night, creating a mysterious and intriguing atmosphere. [1] [2]

Cast

Production

The film features Suraj Thakur as the cinematographer, Manoj V as the editor and Abhishek Kadam handling sound design. The production faced significant challenges, including a tight shooting schedule of four days and the difficulties of filming at night in a remote location with limited resources. [1] [2]

Release and recognition

At the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... won the first prize in the La Cinef section. The jury, led by Lubna Azabal, praised the film's storytelling and execution. The award includes a 15,000 euro grant. The film was screened at the Cinema du Pantheon on June 3 and at the MK2 Quai de Seine on June 4. [2]

Accolades

Sunflowers Were the First Ones To Know qualifies for Oscars 2025 [3]

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2024 La Cinef Best ShortChidananda NaikWon [2]
Bengaluru International Short Film Festival Indian CompetitionWon [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denys Arcand</span> Canadian film director

Georges-Henri Denys Arcand is a Canadian filmmaker. During his four decades career, he became one of the most internationally-recognized director from Quebec, earning widespread acclaim and numerous accolades for his "intensely personal, challenging, and intellectual films."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kannada cinema</span>

Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar, Bengaluru. The 1934 film Sati Sulochana directed by Y. V. Rao was the first talkie film released in the Kannada language. It was also the first film starring Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba, and the first screened in the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. It was produced by Chamanlal Doongaji, who in 1932 founded South India Movietone in Bengaluru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girish Kasaravalli</span> Indian film director

Girish Kasaravalli is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including four Best Feature Films; Ghatashraddha (1977), Tabarana Kathe (1986), Thaayi Saheba (1997) and Dweepa (2002). In 2011, he was awarded with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award by Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Arnold</span> English film director and actor

Andrea Patricia Arnold OBE is an English filmmaker and former actress. She won an Academy Award for her short film Wasp in 2005. Her feature films include Red Road (2006), Fish Tank (2009), and American Honey (2016), all of which have won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Arnold has also directed four episodes of the Amazon Prime Video series Transparent, as well as all seven episodes of the second season of the HBO series Big Little Lies. Her documentary Cow premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and played at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo and Vittorio Taviani</span> Italian film directors and screenwriters

Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani, collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on numerous film productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Critics' Week</span> Parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival

Critics' Week, until 2008 called International Critics' Week, is a parallel section to the Cannes Film Festival organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. It was created in 1962, after the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics's successful campaign for Shirley Clarke's The Connection to be screened at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. It is the oldest non-official Cannes sidebar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">László Nemes</span> Hungarian film director and screenwriter

László Nemes is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. His 2015 debut feature film, Son of Saul, was screened in the main competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. He is the first Hungarian director whose film has won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Son of Saul is the second Hungarian film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2016, Nemes was a member of the main competition jury of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

La Cinéfondation is a foundation under the aegis of the Cannes Film Festival, created to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 62nd Cannes Film Festival took place from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert served as jury president for the main competition. Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama film The White Ribbon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 18th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 16 May 1965. Olivia de Havilland became the first woman president of the jury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Cannes Film Festival</span>

The 33rd Cannes Film Festival took place from 9 and 23 May 1980. American actor Kirk Douglas served as jury president for the main competition. During the festival the showing of Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker was notoriously by an electricians strike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ildikó Enyedi</span> Hungarian film director and screenwriter

Ildikó Enyedi is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. She is best known for directing On Body and Soul, which won the top prize at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival among other awards, and was nominated for a Foreign Language Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adastra Films</span> French film production and distribution company

Adastra Films is a film production and distribution company based in Cannes, France. It was founded in March 2008 by Sébastien Aubert and David Guiraud. It produces movies by French and international directors.

Naren Hua is a Chinese film and television actress of Mongolian ethnicity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sébastien Aubert</span> French entrepreneur and film producer

Sébastien Aubert is a French entrepreneur and film producer, known for producing the feature film LaRoy, Texas which won the Grand Prix at the 2023 Deauville American Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Rankin</span> Canadian experimental filmmaker

Matthew Rankin is a Canadian experimental filmmaker. His feature-length debut, The Twentieth Century, premiered in 2019 and was nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards, winning three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaouther Ben Hania</span> Tunisian film director

Kaouther Ben Hania also written Kaouther Ben Henia or Kaouther Benhenia is a Tunisian film director. Her 2017 film Beauty and the Dogs was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. Her 2020 film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. Her 2024 film Four Daughters was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at 96th Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payal Kapadia (filmmaker)</span> Indian filmmaker

Payal Kapadia is an Indian filmmaker. In 2017, her short film Afternoon Clouds was the only Indian film selected for the 70th Cannes Film Festival. In 2021, she won the Golden Eye award for best documentary film at the 74th Cannes Film Festival for her debut feature A Night of Knowing Nothing. In 2024, she won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her fiction feature debut All We Imagine as Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Cannes Film Festival</span> 77th edition of French film festival

The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Camille Cottin hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. American filmmaker Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the comedy-drama film Anora.

References

  1. 1 2 Sudevan, Praveen (2024-05-11). "Kannada short film 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' to be screened in Cannes". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Balaga, Marta (2024-05-23). "'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' by Chidananda S Naik Receives Cannes' La Cinef Award for Best Short". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  3. https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kannada-short-film-sunflowers-were-the-first-ones-to-know-by-ftii-student-qualifies-for-oscars-2025-6947439
  4. "BISFF Winners 2024".
  5. S, Pranati A. "Dutch film wins top award at Bengaluru International Short Film Festival". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-10.