Ladakhi Debut 'Kakthet' Wins $42,000 Co-Production Fund

Stenzin Tankyong's debut feature "Kakthet" (Idiot), a Ladakhi-language drama, has won the inaugural INR40 lakh ($42,000) feature film co-production fund run by Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures. The project was selected from nearly 400 entries after what the organizers describe as an extensive screening and evaluation process.

The film is set in Ladakh's remote high-altitude region and follows a government school and its surrounding community. Both depend on one reluctant grade 10 student who has never passed an exam. The teachers must attempt the impossible: save the school by saving the one student determined not to be saved.

Who is behind the film?

Tankyong has spent eight years making films that carry Ladakh's stories, landscapes and culture to international audiences. His shorts "Sekool" (2019) and "Last Days of Summer" (2023) screened at festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Dharamshala International Film Festival.

"Kakthet" is produced by Ritu Sarin and Rajesh Thanickan, with French co-producers La Belle Affaire Productions. Sarin, whose career spans more than 30 years, co-founded White Crane Films and the Dharamshala International Film Festival. Thanickan's credits include Neeraj Ghaywan's "Homebound," executive produced by Martin Scorsese and premiered at Cannes in 2025; "Santosh," a 2024 Cannes premiere; and "Our Share of Sand," which premiered in the 2026 Venice International Film Festival's International Critics' Week and won the Audience Award there.

The project arrived with credentials. It won the Co-Production Features Grant at WAVES Film Bazaar in 2025 and was one of 30 projects selected for the 2026 Asian Project Market, held alongside the Busan International Film Festival.

What does the fund change for the filmmakers?

Humans of Cinema founder Harshit Bansal and Safarnaama Pictures founder Nazim Momin, a U.S.-based engineer and producer, launched the fund. Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen serve as mentors, with Sen also acting as executive producer of the winning project. The jury comprised actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav, "All That Breathes" producer Aman Mann and festival director Aseem Chhabra.

"The 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're even more convinced how desperately initiatives like these are needed in South Asia right now," Bansal said. "Stenzin is an exciting new filmmaker with a distinct voice, and we're excited to be an ally in his journey of making his debut feature."

Bhardwaj framed the choice in broader terms: "Stories like 'Kakthet' remind us why it is important to create opportunities for voices that emerge from outside the mainstream. I'm glad to be associated with this initiative and look forward to seeing Stenzin Tankyong bring his vision to life."

Sen, reading the script closely, said: "The 'Kakthet' 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."

Kadav praised the selection process: "I 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've put in selecting the winner." She added that many of the submitted stories "represented fearlessness and fierceness."

Tankyong noted that the award matters because it comes from within India. "For independent filmmakers in India, finding support for stories rooted in our own regions, languages and lived experiences can be challenging," he said. "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."

What happens next?

The promise has limits worth noting. The screenplay is only in its fourth draft, and $42,000 does not finance a feature on its own. 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 in place, and the team is now seeking additional financing and co-production partners across Asia, Australia and Europe. The film shoots when that money arrives — not before.