Doctor-turned-film student’s movie wins at Cannes

Brut India

He quit MBBS to pursue filmmaking and now, Chidananda S Naik’s short film, Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know won the La Cinef prize at Cannes. Brut is the official media partner of the Cannes Film Festival. #Cannes2024

Transcript

00:00I didn't know my film was submitted to Cannes.

00:02I never thought I will be a filmmaker.

00:04I was a doctor before.

00:05I was happy I called FTI.

00:07Can you confirm me this?

00:16Hello, I am Chidanand S. Naik for Brute.

00:27So FTI has these confidential rules.

00:30Of submitting into films.

00:31So they didn't usually tell me.

00:33So I directly got a message from the artistic director of the film festival.

00:36Like, is so and so your graduation film?

00:39And I was curious, like, why I am getting a message from Cannes?

00:43Then I replied and she said,

00:45your film has been selected.

00:47I was happy I called FTI.

00:49Can you confirm me this?

00:50It feels really great to be,

00:52my work being recognized.

01:00You spent so many years to be a doctor.

01:02And it was a huge part of my life.

01:05And quitting that and starting again

01:07was very difficult and for people around me also.

01:11So they were like quite scared.

01:13And they were like,

01:14few people were doubtful whether I can make it.

01:16So that was the time.

01:17But for me, the passion was like the driving force.

01:20And I love whatever I do.

01:22So this kept on moving.

01:24And somehow I could keep on.

01:28So basically the logline of the film is,

01:30one day a granny from the village

01:32steals the rooster and gets out of the village.

01:35And from that day onwards, the village never gets the sunrise again.

01:41I am Kannadiga.

01:42So I feel so proud.

01:44And my title of the film is

01:48And the English title is

01:49Sunflowers were the first ones to bloom.

01:51So I am very proud of that.

01:54And the English title is

01:55Sunflowers were the first ones to know.

01:57And whatever I am,

01:59I can tell the stories where I come from.

02:01And Kannada film is definitely

02:04We were making global films way before.

02:06If you know Shankar Naik,

02:08you might have seen Malgudi Days.

02:10We had such brilliant filmmakers before also.

02:12Now we are getting that recognition.

02:14So I am very happy.

02:15And this is just the beginning.

02:16Because these are the narratives we have been growing,

02:19listening like,

02:20we were listening

02:22these narratives while we were growing up.

02:24And we wanted audience to get into our mind space.

02:27Especially the folklore has their cultural context within.

02:30And our travelling metaphors is the one we

02:33usually express through.

02:35So I am very happy that

02:37this film got here and

02:40the work is being recognized here.

02:42Anyone can be a filmmaker if they feel

02:44expressing in this medium.

02:45And this is not the only way of expression.

02:47Some can write, some can paint, some can sing.

02:49So I feel I resonate with this medium.

02:52So I think anyone can be a filmmaker

02:55and everyone is an artist.

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