Chidanand S. Naik (second from left) after winning La Cinéfa’s top prize in Cannes. | Photo credit: @Chidanandasnaik/X
Mysore-based filmmaker Chidanand S. Naik, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), won the first prize at La Cinéf at the Cannes Film Festival. Mr Naik’s short film, The sunflower was the first to know, Won top prize at the Buñuel Theatre in Cannes.
Mr Naik’s 15-minute short film, inspired by a Kannada folktale, was selected for the competition from among 2,263 entries received from 555 film schools across the world.
“Selection at Cannes is an opportunity to connect and interact with other international filmmakers. I hope more Kannada films reach Cannes in the future,” Mr. Naik said. Hindu In an interview before the festival.
Mr Naik received a stipend of 15,000 euros from the festival for his win. “We got only four days to shoot. It was difficult to shoot entirely at night with limited resources,” said Mr Naik, a doctor-turned-filmmaker.
Sunflower was the first to know The film revolves around an old woman who spoils the harmony of a village by stealing its precious chicken, thereby plunging the community into darkness forever. Suraj Thakur is the cinematographer, while Abhishek Kadam is the sound engineer. Manoj V. has done the editing.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah congratulated Mr Naik on his victory. “As a proud Kannadiga, it is inspiring to see you bringing Kannada folklore to the global stage. I am sure this will inspire many more to pursue their passion and achieve great heights,” he wrote on Twitter.
Kannada actor Yash, actor R. Madhavan, FTII and Union Minister Anurag Thakur also congratulated the winner on social media.
Mr Naik is the second Indian to win the La Cinéfe award. In 2020, Ashmita Guha Neogi won this honour for her short film Dog Cat.
