Vishal Bhardwaj, Shaunak Sen back new indie film fund
What's the story
A new co-production fund worth ₹40L (around $42,000) has been launched by Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures to support India's emerging independent filmmakers, reported Variety. The initiative will be mentored by acclaimed director Vishal Bhardwaj and Oscar-nominated director Shaunak Sen. Sen will also serve as the executive producer for the selected project. The fund aims to support a feature film that can appeal both internationally and locally.
Jury composition
Meet the jury members
The jury for the fund consists of filmmaker Arati Kadav, All That Breathes producer Aman Mann, actor Imran Khan, and festival director Aseem Chhabra. Humans of Cinema founder Harshit Bansal revealed that the initiative was born out of a connection with Nazim Momin, a US-based engineer and producer who runs Safarnaama Pictures. Kiterabbit Films, Sen's production company, is also contributing to the fund.
Mentors' support
This is what Bhardwaj, Sen said
Bhardwaj said in a statement, "Independent cinema survives because some people choose to believe in voices before the world discovers them." "Happy to support an initiative that hopes to find and nurture the next fearless generation of filmmakers from India." Sen added, "Avenues for independent cinema today are rapidly wilting, and I'm delighted that Humans of Cinema is instating a filmmaker-forward seed fund. I'm excited to work with the chosen scripts."
Jury's anticipation
'I am excited to see the young voices and stories'
Khan said, "Initiatives to discover and nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent are sorely needed, and I am thrilled to support the HOC Film fund." Kadav added, "I am excited to see the young voices and stories I will meet through this venture and I hope this goes from strength to strength in the coming years." Chhabra said, "This will be a great opportunity for a young filmmaker who is keen to make their first feature."
Fund's objective
How to apply for the fund?
Bansal said, "Our intention is to find the next distinct filmmaking voice from the country, and offer them the financial, production & industry support they need to not just make their films but also to help them find the right festival & distribution support." To be eligible for this fund, applicants must be Indian citizens aged 18 or older with at least two short films or one feature film credit as director.