Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know, a short film by four students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has been selected for La Cinef Competitive section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The film, directed by Chidanand S Naik, will compete with 17 other shorts for three La Cinef prizes, which will be awarded at a ceremony on May 23 in the Bunuel Theatre. The segment is dedicated to showcasing film school fiction or animated films, a press release from the festival organisers said.
Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know has cinematography by Suraj Thakur, editing by Manoj V, and sound by Abhishek Kadam.
It presents the 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, according to the official plotline.
For the 27th edition of La Cinef, the organisers received 2,263 entries from film schools all over the world.
"This year’s programme reflects the geographic mobility of film students, with a Singaporean director in Australia, an Indian and a Lithuanian in the UK, a Russian in the Czech Republic, and three shorts made at American schools by Russian, Chinese and British filmmakers," the press release said.
The Pune-based premier film institute also shared the news on its official handle on social media platform X and congratulated its students for the feat.
"Many congratulations to our talented students Mr Chidanand Naik (Direction), Suraj Thakur (Camera), Manoj V (Editing), and Abhishek Kadam (Sound), for this big achievement," FTII said.
The short film is a production of the institute's TV Wing One-year program where four students from different disciplines -- direction, electronic cinematography, editing, and sound -- worked together for one project as a year-end coordinated exercise, the institute said.
Other entries for the La Cinef section include Crow Man (Lebanon), Banished Love (China), The Chaos She Left Behind (Greece), In Spirito (Italy), Elevación (Mexico), The Deer’s Tooth (Palestine), Plevel (Czech Republic), Forest of Echoes (South Korea), Withered Blossoms (Australia) and It’s Not Time (Israel).
Three films from the US and two each from the UK and France are also part of the lineup.
The jury, which includes Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Paolo Moretti, Claudine Nougaret, Vladimir Perisic and Belgian actress Lubna Azabal, will select the winners of the La Cinef prizes as well as the Short Film Palme d’or.
The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 14 to 25.
Aaradhya Bachchan has no access to social media or a personal phoneGetty Images 
Abhishek Bachchan calls Aishwarya a devoted mother and partnerGetty Images
Aaradhya is now taller than Aishwarya says Abhishek in candid interviewGetty Images
Aishwarya Rai often seen with daughter Aaradhya at public eventsGetty Images
Lootera released in 2013 and marked a stylistic shift for Ranveer Singh Prime Video 
Ranveer Singh’s role as Varun showed he could command the screen without saying much
The period romance Lootera became a turning point in Ranveer Singh’s career
Ranveer Singh’s performance in Lootera was praised for its emotional restraint
Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha starred in the romantic drama set in 1950s BengalYoutube/Altt Balaji Motion Pictures 
Lootera’s legacy has grown over the years despite its modest box office runYoutube/Altt Balaji Motion Pictures
AR Rahman confirms collaboration with Hans Zimmer on InstagramInstagram/
Ozzy Osbourne to perform one final time in BirminghamGetty Images 
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath reunite in Birmingham for farewell concert after two decades Getty Images 
Priyanka Chopra calls herself nascent in Hollywood as 'Heads of State' streams on Prime VideoGetty Images 
Priyanka Chopra wants to build her English film portfolio after Bollywood successGetty Images 
Ilya Naishuller, Priyanka Chopra and John Cena attend the special screening for "Head of State" Getty Images