Chidananda S Naik

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.

Early life Born in 1995 in Shivamogga, Karnataka, Chidananda pursued a career in medicine and completed his MBBS at Mysore Medical College. He was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) during this seventh grade. His experiences with patients led him to explore filmmaking. He then enrolled in a Direction course at FTII, Pune and graduated. 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.

Filmography

Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... (2023) (short film; 16 min)

Awards

Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... - 1st prize at LA CINEF 2024. Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... - Best Script (Non Feature) at 71st National Film Awards. Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know... - Winner of Indian Competition at Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2024.