Indian short film qualifies for Oscars 2025

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Recently, the Film and Television Institute of India’s (FTII) short film “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know” qualifies for the Oscars 2025.

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Ministry of Information & Broadcasting announced that this Kannada short film has qualified for the Oscars 2025 in the Live Action Short Film category.

The film was produced by the Film and Television Institute of India and Chidananda S Naik is the director of the film. 

The film revolves around an elderly woman who steals the village rooster, leading to a cessation of sunlight and resulting in turmoil within the community. In an effort to restore order, a prophecy is invoked, resulting in the exile of the woman’s family as they undertake a desperate mission to retrieve the rooster.

The film has already won the first Prize at the Cannes Film Festival’s La Cinef Selection.

• It is an International Film Festival, held annually in Cannes, France.

Academy Awards (Oscars)

• The 97th Academy Awards (Oscars) will take place in March 2025.
• Academy Awards are organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 
• The first Academy Awards were held in 1929.
• The first Indian recipient of the Oscars was Bhanu Athiya for Costume Design in 1969.

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) 

• It was set up by the Government of India in 1960, in Pune.
• It was formerly known as the ‘Film Institute of India’. 
• In 1971, it came to be known as the ‘Film and Television Institute of India’ (FTII) and started in-service training programs for Doordarshan, India’s public broadcaster.
• FTII became an Autonomous Society under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, run by a Governing Council and its appointed Director.

VINBAX-2024

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India is hosting the 5^th Edition of Vietnam Indian Bilateral Army Exercise “VINBAX 2024”.

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• The exercise will be held from November 4 to 23 at Ambala and Chandimandir, Haryana. 
• This edition marks a significant increase in the scope with Bi-Service level participation for the first time by personnel of the Army and Air Force from both the countries. 
• The aim of the exercise is to enhance the joint military capability of both sides in employment and deployment of Engineer Company and Medical Teams to undertake engineering tasks as part of United Nations Contingent in Peace Keeping Operations under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
• The joint exercise will also provide an opportunity for the troops of both the Contingents to learn about the social and cultural heritages of each other. 
• The first edition of the exercise was held in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh in 2018.

LignoSat

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LignoSat, the world's first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched on a SpaceX rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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• Satellite was Developed by: Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry.
• Satellite aims to test the viability of using wood as a sustainable alternative to metals in satellite construction.
• This satellite is named after the Latin word “lingo” for "wood", and sat for satellite and it aims to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.
• It is also intended to be a potential solution to the growing problem of space debris. 
• The cube satellite, measuring just 4 inches on each side, is crafted from honoki wood (a type of magnolia tree), which is also used in sword sheaths in Japan.