'Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know' selected for 2025 Oscars, confirmed by FTII

'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' an award-winning short film by students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has officially qualified for the 2025 Oscars in the Live Action Short Film category, the Pune-based institute announced on Monday. This remarkable achievement highlights the growing recognition of Indian talent on the global stage.

In May, 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' won the first prize in the La Cinef section at this year's Cannes Film Festival, marking a major milestone in its journey. This prestigious recognition added to the film's growing acclaim and has now propelled it to Oscar qualification in the Live Action Short Film category for 2025.

"I have aspired to tell this story for as long as I can remember. Our goal was to recreate the experience of not merely hearing these stories but of genuinely living them—an experience I hope resonates with audiences around the globe," Naik said in a statement.

Based on a Kannada folk tale, 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' tells the story of an elderly woman who steals the village's rooster, setting off a chain of events that throws the entire community into turmoil. In a bid to restore balance and bring the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, which ultimately leads to the exile of the woman's family. This intriguing plot, blending myth and drama, forms the heart of the film's narrative, according to the official plotline.

At Cannes 2024, 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' won the top prize at the 27th edition of the La Cinef section, which is dedicated to showcasing fiction and animated films from film schools. This prestigious award highlights the film's exceptional storytelling and creative achievement in the realm of student cinema.

(With Inputs: PTI)