Ladakhi Film Wins First Fund Grant

Stenzin Tankyong’s debut feature, Kakthet, has secured the first INR40 lakh ($42,000) grant from a new co-production fund. The money comes from Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures, marking the initial disbursement for the program. The film is set in the high-altitude region of Ladakh and is produced in the Ladakhi language.

The project was selected from nearly 400 submissions after a long evaluation period. The story focuses on a government school whose continued existence relies on a single grade 10 student who has never passed an exam. The teachers must save the school by saving the one student who is determined to fail.

Tankyong has spent eight years documenting Ladakh through short films. His works Sekool and Last Days of Summer screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Dharamshala International Film Festival. The production team includes Ritu Sarin and Rajesh Thanickan, working alongside French co-producers from La Belle Affaire Productions.

Sarin co-founded White Crane Films and the Dharamshala International Film Festival. Thanickan recently worked on Homebound, which premiered at Cannes in 2025, and Santosh, which premiered there in 2024. He also contributed to Our Share of Sand, a winner of the Audience Award at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival.

The film has already gained international traction. It won a grant at the WAVES Film Bazaar in 2025 and was named one of 30 projects at the 2026 Asian Project Market held with the Busan International Film Festival. The fund was created by Harshit Bansal and Nazim Momin. Filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen act as mentors, with Sen also serving as executive producer.

The jury included actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav, producer Aman Mann, and festival director Aseem Chhabra. Bansal noted the high volume of strong entries from across the country. Bhardwaj emphasized the need to support voices from outside the mainstream, while Sen praised the script for its use of humor and sensitivity without judgment.

The screenplay is currently in its fourth draft. In July 2026, the team completed a three-week scout in the Changthang region and Leh. They gathered visual and sonic material for a proof-of-concept teaser. The cast, crew, and locations are confirmed, and the team is now seeking additional financing and co-production partners in Asia, Australia, and Europe.