FTTI's student film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know has been selected in the La Cinef competitive section for the 77th Cannes Film Festival. The announcement was made by Cannes on Tuesday, 23 April.
The film has been selected among 18 other short films, of which 14 are live-action and 4 animated films. Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know is the only Indian film in the La Cinef section of the festival, and has been selected from 2,263 films submitted by film schools all across the globe.
Announcing the news on X, FTII's official handle wrote, "Big Announcement! We are honoured to share that FTII’s student film "Sunflowers were the first ones to know" is selected to compete at 77th Cannes Film Festival. It is the only Indian film among 18 shorts selected from 2,263 entries by film schools all over the world."
Have a look at the tweet here:
Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know was produced as part of the film institute's year end coordinated exercise of their TV- wing. The film is directed by Chidanand Naik, shot by Suraj Thakur, and edited by Manoj V. The film's sound is composed by Abhishek Kadam.
According to FTII, "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know is a story of an elderly woman who steals the village's rooster, which throws the community into disarray. To bring the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, sending the old lady's family into exile."
The 2024 Cannes will be held in France on 15 May. The jury will hand over the prizes for their La Cinef category at a ceremony preceding the screening of the awarded films on 23 May in the Buñuel Theatre.
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