Cannes Film Festival 2024: Pune FTII' 'Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know' to compete in the La Cinef category

Pune FTII

India is making waves at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, with a short film titled "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know" created by a group of students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.

The film has been selected to compete in the La Cinef category at the festival in France, and it's gaining momentum. FTII hit up their social media to spill the beans, mentioning that the flick was part of their year-end TV-wing project.

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Here's the scoop on 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know'

Mr. Chidanand Naik helmed the rural drama as director, with Suraj Thakur behind the camera, Manoj V on editing duty, Abhishek Kadam handling sound, and Pranav Khot taking care of production design. The film is going head-to-head with 17 other shorts for a shot at one of three La Cinef awards, set to be handed out at the Bunuel Theatre on May 23.

Among the contenders are films from Lebanon, China, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Palestine, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Australia, Israel, the US, the UK, and France. The judges on duty include Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Paolo Moretti, Claudine Nougaret, Vladimir Perisic, and Belgian actress Lubna Azabal.

Recent update about Cannes 2024

The Cannes Directors' Fortnight, known for its cutting-edge and provocative cinema, has announced its lineup for the upcoming 2024 festival.Organized by the French Directors' Guild, this independent section runs parallel to the main Cannes festival.

This year's Directors' Fortnight will kick off with 'This Life of Mine,' the final work of the late French director Sophie Fillieres, a poignant drama starring Agnes Jaoui, according to The Hollywood Reporter.The feature section includes four US titles, including 'Christmas Eve in Miller's Point' directed by Tyler Taormina, starring a stellar cast led by Michael Cera and Elsie Fisher.'Good One,' directed by India Donaldson, explores the journey of a young queer woman during a camping trip, while 'Eephus' marks Carson Lund's feature debut, depicting the final game of a small-town baseball team.

Among the veteran directors featured is Patricia Mazuy with 'Visiting Hours,' starring Isabelle Huppert and Hafsia Herzi, as per The Hollywood Reporter.The Directors' Fortnight was initiated in 1969 by the French Directors' Guild, emerging from the aftermath of the disruptions that led to the closure of the Cannes Film Festival in 1968. Since then, it has been a platform for innovative and daring filmmaking.