<p>Indian film <em>Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know </em>has qualified for Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category. The Kannada short film is produced by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Interestingly, the short film <em>Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know</em> won first prize earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival’s La Cinef Selection. The film which is 16-minutes long is inspired from Indian folk stories and traditions.</p>

<p>The film has Suraj Thakur as the cinematographer, Manoj V as the editor and Abhishek Kadam on sound design.</p>

<h2>Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know Critical Acclaim</h2>

<p><em>Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know</em> also received a lot of appreciation at Cannes. The La Cinef Jury at Cannes had commended the film for its illuminating storytelling and masterful direction and said, “An illumination that, from the depths of the night, shines with humour and a keen sense of direction, the first prize is awarded to<em> Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know</em> by Chidananda S Naik.”</p>

<p>Director Chidananda on the film said, “I have aspired to tell this story for as long as I can remember. Our goal was to recreate the experience of not merely hearing these stories but of genuinely living them—an experience I hope resonates with audiences around the globe.”</p>

<p><strong>Watch the trailer here:</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MAmKq-Nwq6s" title="Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know | Official Trailer | Cannes Official Selection 2024 | IFP" width="530"></iframe></p>

<h2>Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know Plot</h2>

<p>The short film centres on an elderly woman who steals the village rooster, which causes sunlight to cease. A prophecy is invoked to restore order, and the woman is exiled from the village. The woman’s family undertakes a desperate mission to retrieve the rooster.</p>

<p>The whole film<em> Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know</em> was shot in the night. The film received the Best Indian Competition award at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival. It will now compete alongside the world's best short films.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-diljit-dosanjh-addresses-fake-ticket-scam-at-his-dil-luminati-concert-i-apologise-to-those-affected-773220">Diljit Dosanjh addresses fake ticket scam at his Dil-Luminati concert: I apologise to those affected</a></p>


Indian film Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know has qualified for Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category. The Kannada short film is produced by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Indian film Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know has qualified for Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category. The Kannada short film is produced by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Interestingly, the short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know won first prize earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival’s La Cinef Selection. The film which is 16-minutes long is inspired from Indian folk stories and traditions. The film has Suraj Thakur as the cinematographer, Manoj V as the editor and Abhishek Kadam on sound design. Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know Critical Acclaim Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know also received a lot of appreciation at Cannes. The La Cinef Jury at Cannes had commended the film for its illuminating storytelling and masterful direction and said, “An illumination that, from the depths of the night, shines with humour and a keen sense of direction, the first prize is awarded to Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know by Chidananda S Naik.” Director Chidananda on the film said, “I have aspired to tell this story for as long as I can remember. Our goal was to recreate the experience of not merely hearing these stories but of genuinely living them—an experience I hope resonates with audiences around the globe.” Watch the trailer here: Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know Plot The short film centres on an elderly woman who steals the village rooster, which causes sunlight to cease. A prophecy is invoked to restore order, and the woman is exiled from the village. The woman’s family undertakes a desperate mission to retrieve the rooster. The whole film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know was shot in the night. The film received the Best Indian Competition award at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival. It will now compete alongside the world's best short films. Also read: Diljit Dosanjh addresses fake ticket scam at his Dil-Luminati concert: I apologise to those affected

Oscars 2025: Kannada short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know qualifies

<p>It is truly a watershed moment for Indian cinema at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. Even as the country was celebrating Payal Kapdia's&nbsp;<em>All We Imagine As Light </em>getting selected in the competition section ending the draught of 30 long years for Indian cinema, Indian filmmaker Chidananda S Naik's short film <em>Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know </em>won the 1st prize of La Cinef for Best Short at the festival. But that's not all. Indian filmmaker Mansi Maheshwari's <em>Bunnyhood</em> won the third prize in the same category.</p>

<p>While <em>Bunnyhood</em> is a UK film, it is made by a Meerut-based filmmaker.&nbsp;&nbsp;The La Cinef Awards were announced on May 23.<br />
<br />
Cannes will give a grant of 15,000 euros for the first prize and 11,250 euros and 7,500 euros for the second and third prizes, respectively.<br />
<br />
Chidanananda S Naik is a student of FTII, Pune. His film <em>Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know </em>won the first prize amongst 17 other films. According to reports, the category consisted of 18 films by film students from 2,263 applicants from 555 film schools across the globe.<br />
<br />
<em>Sunflowers were...</em> is a 16-minute short&nbsp;story of a village thrown into chaos by an elderly woman who steals a rooster. To bring the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, sending the old lady’s family into exile.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Mansi Maheshwari, born in Meerut, made<em> Bunnyhood </em>as part of her graduation project at the National Film Television School (NFTS) in London.</p>

<p>Here's a glimpse:</p>

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<p>The second prize was shared by Columbia University's Our The Window Through The Wall by Asya Segalovich and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's The Chaos She Left Bheind by Nikos Kolioukos.</p>

<p>The award ceremony took place at the Bunuel Theatre on May 23, which was followed by the screening of the films.</p>


It is truly a watershed moment for Indian cinema at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. Even as the country was celebrating Payal Kapdia's All We Imagine As Light getting selected in the competition section ending the draught of 30 long years for Indian cinema, Indian filmmaker Chidananda S Naik's short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know won the 1st prize of La Cinef for Best Short at the festival.

It is truly a watershed moment for Indian cinema at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. Even as the country was celebrating Payal Kapdia's All We Imagine As Light getting selected in the competition section ending the draught of 30 long years for Indian cinema, Indian filmmaker Chidananda S Naik's short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know won the 1st prize of La Cinef for Best Short at the festival. But that's not all. Indian filmmaker Mansi Maheshwari's Bunnyhood won the third prize in the same category. While Bunnyhood is a UK film, it is made by a Meerut-based filmmaker. The La Cinef Awards were announced on May 23. Cannes will give a grant of 15,000 euros for the first prize and 11,250 euros and 7,500 euros for the second and third prizes, respectively. Chidanananda S Naik is a student of FTII, Pune. His film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know won the first prize amongst 17 other films. According to reports, the category consisted of 18 films by film students from 2,263 applicants from 555 film schools across the globe. Sunflowers were... is a 16-minute short story of a village thrown into chaos by an elderly woman who steals a rooster. To bring the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, sending the old lady’s family into exile. Meanwhile, Mansi Maheshwari, born in Meerut, made Bunnyhood as part of her graduation project at the National Film Television School (NFTS) in London. Here's a glimpse: View this post on Instagram A post shared by BUNNYHOOD (@bunnyhoodfilm) × The second prize was shared by Columbia University's Our The Window Through The Wall by Asya Segalovich and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's The Chaos She Left Bheind by Nikos Kolioukos. The award ceremony took place at the Bunuel Theatre on May 23, which was followed by the screening of the films.

Indian film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know wins La Cinef for Best Short at Cannes 2024

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Oscars 2025: Kannada short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know qualifies

Indian film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know wins La Cinef for Best Short at Cannes 2024