According to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), its student Chidanand Naik has won the Cannes La Cinéfe Award for the Best Short Film at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. This is a historic moment for Indian cinema as it is the first time that a film made by an FTII student has been selected and won an award at a prestigious international film festival. Titled 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know', the film is directed by Chidanand Naik, filmed by Suraj Thakur, edited by Manoj V and sound by Abhishek Kadam.
The film is the story of an old woman who steals the village rooster, causing unrest in the community. To get the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, sending the old woman's family into exile. It is the production of a one-year programme of the FTII Film TV wing, where four students from different disciplines – direction, electronic cinematography, editing and sound – worked together on a project as a part of their final year integrated practice. The students worked on the film as part of their final year integrated practice and graduated from FTII in 2023.
FTII Chairman R Madhavan congratulated the entire team of 'Sunflower Way The First Ones To Know'. He said, “Congratulations to Shri Chidanand Naik and the entire team of 'Sunflower Way The First Ones To Know' for this highly prestigious honour. Hope this will be the beginning of a wonderful career with many extraordinary recognitions and love. Also, many congratulations and respect to all the staff and administration of FTII for nurturing such world-class talent.