Stenzin Tankyong’s debut feature film “Kakthet” (Idiot), set in a remote, high-altitude region of Ladakh, has been selected as the winner of the debut feature film co-production fund of Rs 40 lakh ($42,000) managed by Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures.
The Ladakhi language project was selected from nearly 400 applications after an extensive screening and evaluation process.
The film follows the precarious future of a public school and its surrounding community; They’re both tied to a reluctant 10th grader who can’t pass any exams, and their teacher must try the impossible: save the school by saving a student determined not to be saved.
Tankyong has spent eight years making films that bring the stories, landscapes and culture of Ladakh to international audiences. His short films “Sekool” (2019) and “Last Days of Summer” (2023) were screened at festivals such as the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Dharamshala International Film Festival.
“Kakthet” is produced by Ritu Sarin and Rajesh Thanickan and French co-producers La Belle Affaire Productions. A filmmaker and producer whose career spans over 30 years, Sarin is the co-founder of both White Crane Films and the Dharamshala International Film Festival. Thanickan’s credits include Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound,” executive produced by Martin Scorsese and premiering at Cannes in 2025; “Santosh,” which premiered at Cannes in 2024; and “Our Share of Sand,” which premiered at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival International Critics Week and won the Audience Award.
The project attracted the attention of the international industry even before the funding selection, winning the Co-Production Features Grant at WAVES Film Bazaar in 2025 and being selected as one of the 30 projects for the 2026 Asian Project Market held in conjunction with the Busan International Film Festival.
The fund was launched by Harshit Bansal, founder of Humans of Cinema, and Nazim Momin, founder of US-based engineer and producer Safarnaama Pictures. Filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen serve as mentors, with Sen also executive producing the winning project. The jury included actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav, “Everything That Breathes” producer Aman Mann and festival director Aseem Chhabra.
“The last few months working on this fund have been both incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. We have been pleasantly surprised by the number of fantastic projects we have received from across the country, and are even more convinced of how desperately needed initiatives like this are in South Asia right now. It was certainly a testing process, but we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Stenzin is an exciting new filmmaker with a distinctive voice, and we’re thrilled to be an ally in his journey to make his feature debut,” said Bansal.
“Stories like ‘Kakthet’ remind us why it is important to create opportunities for voices from outside the mainstream. I am happy to be associated with this initiative and look forward to seeing Stenzin Tankyong bring his vision to life,” Bhardwaj said.
“The script of ‘Kakthet’ mobilizes lightness, absurdity and humor to tell a slow elegy story that is a testament to diverse lives in Ladakh. The story of Singay and the motley group of students and teachers never falls into judgment while remaining curious and sensitive. I look forward to supporting the team in realizing this project,” he said.
“I want to congratulate the team at Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama who worked tirelessly to raise this fund. I was amazed by the passion, diligence and love they showed in selecting the winner. I want to congratulate the winning film and above all I want to applaud all the filmmakers who applied. Many of the stories represented fearlessness and violence and I was truly inspired by them,” Kadav said.
“I am delighted that ‘Kakthet’ has been chosen for the inaugural HoC “The initiatives create valuable opportunities for new voices in independent cinema, bringing our country’s diverse cultures and experiences to wider audiences. I am delighted that Kakthet (Idiot) is a part of this first edition, and I thank HoC, Safarnaama Pictures, the jury and the mentors for helping us take the film forward,” he said.
The script is in its fourth draft. In July 2026, the team completed a three-week survey in Changthang district and Leh for location scouting, production planning, and capturing audiovisual materials for the proof-of-concept teaser. The main cast, crew and shooting locations are now ready; the team focused on securing additional financing and establishing co-production relationships in Asia, Australia and Europe.