Kannada short film by Chidananda S Naik, Sunflowers were the first to know (2023), has been selected to participate in the La Sinef section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The section showcases and promotes films from various film schools around the world, thereby promoting emerging talent. The jury will present the La Sinef Award during a ceremony at the Buñuel Theater on 23 May.

The 15-minute film, which is a part of Chidanand’s year-end exercise at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), features Sooraj Thakur (cinematography), Manoj V (editing), and Abhishek Kadam (sound) as the crew. Are included in. The film revolves around an elderly woman who destroys the village harmony by stealing their prized chicken and plunges the community into darkness forever. The task leads the villagers on a desperate quest to retrieve the missing bird and restore sunlight. Shot entirely at night, the film creates a sense of mystery and intrigue.

It was not a single defining moment that inspired Chidanand towards filmmaking. Instead, it was a gradual process shaped by a series of events. The first spark came from watching Akira Kurosawa Dreams, a film that completely blew him away when he was in seventh grade. Later, at the beginning of the last decade, there was a wave of new Kannada cinema. like movies lucia Like Pawan Kumar and Rakshit Shetty’s projects and others Colorful Reflecting a whole new generation of filmmakers were emerging.

Being from Karnataka, Chidananda became aware of this exciting movement. This also led him to discover masters like Girish Kasaravalli and Girish Karnad. This and the discussions about world cinema opened his eyes to what he calls “a whole new universe”.

But his steps had not yet entered that universe. He studied medicine, which surprisingly led him to films.

“Working in the medical field, I have seen countless patients and had access to their most intimate places. It was a place of raw honesty, where people did not lie. Witnessing birth and death firsthand forced me to contemplate the deeper aspects of life,” Chidananda says over the phone.

While the life of a doctor offers security and a wealth of experiences, it also exposes the entire spectrum of human emotions – a constant dance between happiness and sadness. He becomes deeply involved in these moments, forced to confront the complexities of being human. Those intimate spaces filled with raw honesty pushed him toward self-discovery and a yearning for creative expression.

In this way the doctor became a film producer. “It was a slow awakening for me,” laughs Chidananda.

Sunflowers were the first to know It is taken from a Kannada folktale, which he has kept in his heart since childhood. Surprisingly, despite its popularity within Karnataka, he found that most people outside the state were unfamiliar with the story. “My dream is to transform the myths and folklore of India into cinematic experiences, and with so many stories waiting to be told, this short film seems like the perfect place to start.”

Still ‘the first to know about sunflower’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“The main theme of the story revolves around destiny, a question that has resonated in all cultures since the myth of Sisyphus. Can we really challenge our predetermined fate? My point is that while we readily discuss Greek philosophy and stories from other cultures, we often overlook the rich tapestry of similar themes and philosophies within our Indian traditions. These are stories that deserve serious exploration,” he adds.

Although it is a 15 minute film, Sunflowers were the first to know Presented some challenges. “We got just four days to shoot. Shooting entirely at night with limited resources was difficult, compounded by the difficult geography of the location. Public transportation was not accessible, so everyone had to carry equipment overnight with a minimal crew. Those four days were tough, everyone was tired and exhausted, yet driven by an unwavering passion,” says Chidananda.

However, the hard work has paid off. Chidanand will be visiting Cannes on May 12 to watch his film, but more importantly, he will be there to “celebrate cinema”.

“This selection at Cannes is an opportunity to showcase and interact with other international filmmakers. This shows that this path is open for other people in Karnataka also. I hope more Kannada films reach Cannes in the future,” he says.

“This recognition motivates me to keep making films, reach a wider audience and take them global. This is the ultimate goal. Seeing artists like Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola and Bong Joon-ho make a splash at Cannes with their previous films inspires me. He persevered and took his work to the international stage. I would love to see our films also reach that level.