Indian filmmaker Chidananda S. Naik's short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know topped the 27th La Cinef category of the 77th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.

“Discover the winners of the 27th edition of La Cinef , the first winners of #Cannes2024 ! The Short Films and La Cinef Jury chaired by Lubna Azabal awarded the prizes for its 2024 Palmarès during a ceremony in the Salle Buñuel, followed by the screening of the winning films,” the official handle of the festival wrote on X.

Chidananda S. Naik, a student at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, won the first prize for Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know among 18 films chosen from 2,263 submissions from 555 film schools worldwide. The award will earn him a grant of 15,000 euros.

Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know, a 16-minute short, tells the tale of a village thrown into disarray when an elderly woman steals a rooster, leading to a prophecy that results in her family's exile.

“The reception of this prestigious award is a historical achievement for Indian Cinema. Film and television Institute of India stands tall among the best Film schools in the world and made India Proud today,” the official handle of FTII wrote on X, reacting to the victory.

The second prize was jointly awarded to Out The Window Through The Wall by Asya Segalovich from Columbia University and 'The Chaos She Left Behind' by Nikos Kolioukos from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Meerut-born Mansi Maheshwari's Bunnyhood, a UK production, bagged the third position. Mansi created the film as her graduation project at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London.

The Short Films and La Cinef jury, led by Lubna Azabal, included Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Paolo Moretti, Claudine Nougaret, and Vladimir Perisic. The awarded films will be screened again at the Cinéma du Panthéon on June 3 and at the MK2 Quai de Seine on June 4.