New Delhi: The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is celebrating a significant achievement with its student film, 'Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know', directed by Chidananda S Naik, qualified for the Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category.

This milestone follows a series of accolades, including winning first prize in the prestigious La Cinef Selection at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, which brought international attention to the film.

Created in Kannada, 'Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know' is inspired by Indian folk stories and traditions. The plot centres on an elderly woman who steals a rooster, disrupting the cycle of sunlight in her village and plunging the community into chaos. In an attempt to restore balance, a prophecy is invoked, and the woman's family is exiled to undertake a journey to retrieve the rooster.

Naik, along with a skilled FTII team, brought this vision to life.

At Cannes, the La Cinef Jury lauded the film, describing it as "an illumination that, from the depths of the night, shines with humor and a keen sense of direction." Naik expressed his long-standing desire to tell this story, stating, "Our goal was to recreate the experience of not merely hearing these stories but of genuinely living them."