"Sunflower Were the First Ones to Know" - FTII Student Chidanand S Naik (Director) Course and Film 'La Cinef' Award
India's performance at the 77th Cannes Film Festival 2024 has been phenomenal with 2 filmmakers, an actress and a cinematographer winning top awards at the world's premier film festival.I As one of the largest film producing nations with a thriving film industry, Indian filmmakers have received huge acclaim at Cannes over the years.
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77th Cannes Film Festival 2024 India's performance
For the first time in 30 years, an Indian film, Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light, which centers around the lives of two nurses, was nominated for the Palme d', or the festival's highest award. Kapadia's film won the Grand Prix, second place in the category. With this win, FTII alumnus Payal Kapadia has become the first Indian to receive this prestigious award. This comes after 30 years when Shaji N Karun's 'Swaham' competed for the top honour.
Payal Kapadia's film was granted official Indo-French co-production status by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Audio-Visual Treaty signed between India and France. The shooting of the film was also approved by the Ministry of Maharashtra (Ratnagiri and Mumbai). The film received interim approval for 30 percent of the qualifying co-production costs under the Government of India's Incentives Scheme for Official Co-Production.
Film and Television Institute of India student Chidanand S Naik won the first prize in the La Cinef category for his 15-minute short film based on Kannada folklore "Sunflower Were the First Ones to Know". This film of FTII is a one-year program of FTII's TV Wing, in which four students from different disciplines viz., Direction, Electronic Cinematography, Editing, Sound worked together for a project as a year-end integrated exercise. Before joining FTII in 2022, Chidanand S Naik was also selected as one of the 75 Creative Minds at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI). India-born Mansi Maheshwari's animated film 'Bunnyhood' won the third prize at La Cinef Selection.
The festival celebrated the work of world renowned director Shyam Benegal. 48 years after its release in India, Benegal's Manthan, which is preserved in the National Film Archives of India (NFDC-NFAI under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and restored by the Film Heritage Foundation, was screened at Cannes in the Classics section.
Cinematographer Santosh Sivan, known for his prolific work in Indian cinema, became the first Asian to be awarded the prestigious Pierre 'Engenix Tribute' award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in recognition of his "career and exceptional quality of work". Another history-maker at Cannes is Anasuya Sengupta, as she became the first Indian to win the Best Actress award for her performance in 'The Besharam' in the 'Uncertain Relationship' category.
Another independent filmmaker who shined at Cannes was Maisam Ali, also an FTII alumnus. His film "In Retreat" was featured in the Acid Cannes Sidebar Program. Administered by the Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema, the section featured an Indian film for the first time since its inception in 1993.
As we witness a historic year for Indian cinema at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, the Film and Television Institute of India has a special reason to celebrate its achievements, as alumni like Payal Kapadia, Santosh Shivan, Maisam Ali and Chidanand S Naik shine at Cannes. . FTII is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and works as a society with financial support from the Central Government.
A center for promoting the film sector through single window clearance, joint production with various countries, supporting education in the field of cinema through autonomous institutions such as the Film and Television Institute of India and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute or facilitating multifaceted efforts to establish India as a global content hub. Government's priority is bringing positive impact at national and international level.
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