{"id":660145,"date":"2026-10-29T01:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T01:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/660145\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T01:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T01:26:09","slug":"vishal-bhardwaj-shaunak-sen-mentored-fund-picks-kakthet-as-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/660145\/","title":{"rendered":"Vishal Bhardwaj, Shaunak Sen-Mentored Fund Picks ‘Kakthet’ as Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tStenzin Tankyong\u2019s debut feature \u201cKakthet<\/a>\u201d (Idiot), set in the remote high-altitude region of Ladakh, has been selected as the winner of the inaugural INR40 lakh ($42,000) feature film co-production fund run by Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe Ladakhi-language project was selected from nearly 400 entries after an extensive screening and evaluation process.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film follows the precarious future of a government school and the community around it \u2013 both dependent on one reluctant grade 10 student who has never passed an exam, and whose teachers must attempt the impossible: save the school by saving the one student determined not to be saved.<\/p>\n

\n\tTankyong has spent eight years making films that bring Ladakh\u2019s stories, landscapes and culture to international audiences. His short films \u201cSekool\u201d (2019) and \u201cLast Days of Summer\u201d (2023) have screened at festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and the Dharamshala International Film Festival.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cKakthet\u201d is produced by Ritu Sarin and Rajesh Thanickan, alongside French co-producers La Belle Affaire Productions. A filmmaker and producer whose career spans more than 30 years, Sarin co-founded both White Crane Films and the Dharamshala International Film Festival. Thanickan\u2019s credits include Neeraj Ghaywan\u2019s \u201cHomebound,\u201d executive produced by Martin Scorsese and premiered at Cannes in 2025; \u201cSantosh,\u201d which premiered at Cannes in 2024; and \u201cOur Share of Sand,\u201d which premiered at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival\u2019s International Critics\u2019 Week, where it won the Audience Award.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe project had already attracted international industry attention before the fund selection, winning the Co-Production Features Grant at WAVES Film Bazaar in 2025 and being chosen as one of 30 projects for the 2026 Asian Project Market, held alongside the Busan International Film Festival.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe fund was launched by Humans of Cinema founder Harshit Bansal and Safarnaama Pictures founder Nazim Momin, a U.S.-based engineer and producer. Filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj<\/a> and Shaunak Sen<\/a> are attached as mentors, with Sen also serving as executive producer of the winning project. The jury comprised actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav, \u201cAll That Breathes\u201d producer Aman Mann and festival director Aseem Chhabra.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe past few months working on this fund have been both unbelievably challenging and incredibly rewarding. We were pleasantly surprised by the sheer number of brilliant projects we received from across the country, and we\u2019re even more convinced how desperately initiatives like these are needed in South Asia right now. It was definitely a testing process, but we couldn\u2019t be happier with the result. Stenzin is an exciting new filmmaker with a distinct voice, and we\u2019re excited to be an ally in his journey of making his debut feature,\u201d Bansal said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cStories like \u2018Kakthet\u2019 remind us why it is important to create opportunities for voices that emerge from outside the mainstream. I\u2019m glad to be associated with this initiative and look forward to seeing Stenzin Tankyong bring his vision to life,\u201d Bhardwaj said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe \u2018Kakthet\u2019 script mobilizes lightness, absurdity and humor to tell the story of a slow lamentation underwriting several lives in Ladakh. The story of Singay and the motley group of students and teachers always stays curious and sensitive, while never lapsing into judgement. I look forward to supporting the team in realising this project,\u201d Sen said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI want to congratulate the Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama team who have worked tirelessly to create this fund. I was amazed at the passion, rigour and love they\u2019ve put in selecting the winner. I want to congratulate the winning film and above all, I want to applaud all the filmmakers who applied. So many stories represented fearlessness and fierceness, and I was really inspired by them,\u201d Kadav said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m delighted that \u2018Kakthet\u2019 has been selected for the inaugural HoC x Safarnaama Pictures Co-Production Fund. For independent filmmakers in India, finding support for stories rooted in our own regions, languages and lived experiences can be challenging. The fact that this support comes from within our own country makes this recognition especially meaningful for us. For a film in Ladakhi, grounded in the culture and realities of Ladakh, this support offers real encouragement to tell a story that might otherwise struggle to reach the screen and a wider audience. Initiatives like this create valuable opportunities for newer voices in independent cinema, bringing the diverse cultures and experiences of our country to wider audiences. I\u2019m glad Kakthet (Idiot) is part of this first edition, and I thank HoC, Safarnaama Pictures, the jury and mentors for helping us take the film forward,\u201d Tankyong said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe screenplay is in its fourth draft. In July 2026, the team completed a three-week recce across the Changthang region and Leh for location scouting, production planning and the capture of visual and sonic material for a proof-of-concept teaser. Principal cast, crew and shooting locations are now in place, with the team focused on securing additional financing and establishing co-production relationships across Asia, Australia and Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stenzin Tankyong\u2019s debut feature \u201cKakthet\u201d (Idiot), set in the remote high-altitude region of Ladakh, has been selected as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[146,85,46,297000,397,297001,78486],"class_list":["post-660145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-kakthet","tag-movies","tag-shaunak-sen","tag-vishal-bhardwaj"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}