- By Ridhi Suri
- Fri, 24 May 2024 09:17 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Cannes Film Festival 2024: Indian filmmaker Chidananda S Naik's 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' clinched the 1st prize of La Cinef for Best Short, while Mansi Maheshwari's 'Bunnyhood' secured the third prize in the same category. Although 'Bunnyhood' is a UK film, it is crafted by an Indian hailing from Meerut. The prestigious La Cinef awards were unveiled on May 23.
FTII student Chidananda S Naik's 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' secured the top prize among 17 other films. The selection comprised 18 films crafted by film students, chosen from a pool of 2,263 applicants representing 555 film schools worldwide. Cannes will award a grant of 15,000 euros for the first prize, 11,250 euros for the second prize, and 7,500 euros for the third prize.
Speaking about the same, Chidananda told Variety said, "We had only four days. I was basically told not to make this film. It’s based on folklore from Karnataka (in India). These are the stories we grew up with, so I was carrying this idea since my childhood."
View this post on Instagram
About Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know
A a 16-minute short film that unfolds the tale of a village plunged into chaos when an elderly woman steals a rooster. To retrieve the rooster, a prophecy is invoked, leading to the exile of the old lady's family. The filmmaker developed the film after completing his one-year course at the television wing of the Film and Television Institute of India. Inspired by a Kannada folk tale, the 'Sunflowers Were the Last Ones to Know,' was evaluated by a five-member jury chaired by Belgian actress Lubna Azabal.
Indian filmmaker Mansi Maheshwari, originally from Meerut, created 'Bunnyhood' as her graduation project at the National Film Television School (NFTS) in London.
The second prize was jointly awarded to Columbia University's 'Our The Window Through The Wall' by Asya Segalovich and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's 'The Chaos She Left Behind' by Nikos Kolioukos. The Short Films and La Cinef jury, chaired by Lubna Azabal, included Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Paolo Moretti, Claudine Nougaret, and Vladimir Perisic. The award ceremony occurred at the Bunuel Theatre on May 23, followed by a screening of the films.