Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen join new film fund initiative supporting independent cinema

What are the vital ingredients an aspiring filmmaker needs when they have a story to tell but no outlet? Beyond a script, they need financial stability, production expertise, and industry access. Addressing this gap, Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures have launched a landmark feature film co-production fund of Rs 40,00,000 designed to back an emerging filmmaker with a distinct voice and a clear vision.

In a significant boost to the independent ecosystem, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Shaunak Sen (All That Breathes) and globally acclaimed auteur Vishal Bhardwaj have joined the initiative as mentors. Sen is also attached to the selected project as an Executive Producer.

The high-profile jury for the fund includes actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav (Cargo, Mrs), producer Aman Mann (All That Breathes), and renowned author and festival director Aseem Chhabra.

Harshit Bansal, Founder of Humans of Cinema, shared that the idea took shape when Nazim Momin of Safarnaama Pictures—a US-based engineer and producer—reached out via Instagram with a shared vision to back independent Indian cinema. Together, they aim to support a film that is both festival-ready and engaging for local audiences.

Commenting on the initiative, mentor Vishal Bhardwaj said, “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.”

Shaunak Sen, who will Executive Produce the chosen script, 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.”

The jury also expressed a collective urgency for such a platform. Imran Khan stated, "Initiatives to discover and nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent are sorely needed, and I am thrilled to support the HOC Film fund.”

Calling the co-production fund a “logical next step”, Arati Kadav said, “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, where we will see many brilliant and radical voices finding support in this ecosystem.”

Aseem Chhabra added, “This will be a great opportunity for a young filmmaker who is keen to make their first feature and take it to an international festival. Such endeavors are essential if we want to take Indian cinema to the next level in the global market.”

Harshit Bansal emphasized that the country does not lack talent, but rather the avenues to turn scripts into reality. “Our intention is to find the next distinct filmmaking voice from the country, & 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.

"We feel fortunate that Shaunak Sen & Vishal Bhardwaj have joined our initiative as mentors, with Shaunak also being attached to the selected project as an Executive Producer. Their support & insights will be invaluable for the selected filmmaker as well as us. We’re also grateful to Shaunak’s production company, Kiterabbit Films, for offering us crucial support for this initiative, and to our jury members who are lending their expertise out of their sheer goodwill and a passion to support good cinema,” he added.

The fund is open to all Indian citizens aged 18 and above who have directed at least two short films or one feature film. Interested applicants can submit their projects for a non-refundable fee of Rs 1499.

Also Read: SHOCKING: Irrfan Khan’s car was attacked during Haider shoot in Srinagar; Vishal Bhardwaj reveals, “Any other actor would have left but Irrfan made fun of it. He said, ‘Arre, aisa nishaana tha saale ka…kya throw thi uski’!”

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