The stolen rooster will be found walking on the red carpet of the Oscars!
2024 Cannes-winning short film- Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know, has qualified for Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category.
Directed by FTII student Chidananda S Naik, this 16-minute film explores the chaos that occurs in a village when an elderly woman steals the community’s rooster, causing the sun to never rise again. In a desperate bid to retrieve the rooster, the village invokes an ancient prophecy, forcing the woman’s family into exile. Inspired by a traditional Kannada folk tale, the film delves into themes of community, myth, and consequence.
And only in those 16 minutes, the director manages to move the audience. With breathtaking visuals and sharp, powerful writing, every second of the film unfolds a new layer of storytelling, and each frame tells its own unique tale.
Produced as part of the final year exercise, this short film has won several awards, and rightfully so.
Selecting this film is essential in bringing India’s rich cultural heritage and timeless folk tales to a global audience, stories that often remain hidden. This short film draws from a folk tale traditionally passed down orally, shared by grandmothers to lull their grandchildren to sleep. Since these tales are unwritten, they rarely reach beyond intimate circles, making this film a unique opportunity to preserve and share them with the world.
Here’s where our OTT platforms fall short: culturally rich, authentic films that reflect our roots rarely make it onto streaming services. As a result, audiences miss out on meaningful stories about their own heritage. It’s time for these platforms to showcase not just commercial hits but also these hidden gems, allowing viewers to experience the beauty of diverse, homegrown narratives.