Chidananda S Naik
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Chidananda S Naik | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Director |
| Years active | 2023–present |
| Notable work | Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... (2023) |
Chidananda S Naik is an Indian doctor-turned-filmmaker from Mysuru, Karnataka, known for his short film Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... In 2024, he won the first prize at La Cinéf, a sidebar competition for student films at the Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Born in 1995 in Shivamogga, Karnataka, Chidananda pursued a career in medicine and completed his MBBS at Mysore Medical College.[2] He was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) during this seventh grade.[3] His experiences with patients led him to explore filmmaking. He then enrolled in a Direction course at FTII, Pune and graduated.[1][2]
Career
Chidananda made Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... in four days at the end of his one-year television course in the Film and Television Institute of India. The 16-minute film is based on a Kannada folk tale.[4][5] The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and was one of 18 titles judged by a jury of five members, chaired by Belgian actress Lubna Azabal.[4]
Chidananda is the first student from FTII's one-year Television course to win La Cinéf.[1] Commenting on the choice of the jury, director S. S. Rajamouli has rejoiced an Indian short had received it, saying "Indian talent breaching boundaries".[6]
Filmography
- Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... (2023) (short film; 16 min)