What key elements does an aspiring filmmaker have with a story to tell but no outlet? Beyond a script, they need financial stability, production expertise, and access to the industry. Addressing this gap, Humans of Cinema and Safarnama Pictures have launched a landmark feature film co-production fund of Rs 40,00,000, designed to support emerging filmmakers with a distinct voice and clear vision.
Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen join new Film Fund initiative supporting independent cinema
In a significant boost to the independent ecosystem, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Shaunak Sen (All That Breathes) and globally acclaimed author Vishal Bhardwaj have joined the initiative as patrons. Sen is also attached to the selected project as an executive producer.
The high-profile jury for the fund includes actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Aarti Kadav (Cargo, Smt.), Producer Aman Mann (all that breathes), and renowned writer and festival director Aseem Chhabra.
Harshit Bansal, founder of Humans of Cinema, shared that the idea took shape when Safarnama Pictures’ Nazim Momin – a US-based engineer and producer – reached out via Instagram with a shared vision of supporting independent Indian cinema. Together, their goal is to support a film that is both festival-ready and attractive to local audiences.
Commenting on the initiative, Patron Vishal Bhardwaj said, “Independent cinema survives because some choose to believe in voices before the world discovers them. It’s a pleasure to support an initiative that hopes to discover and nurture the next fearless generation of filmmakers from India.”
Shaunak Sen, who will executive produce the shortlisted script, said, “The avenues for independent cinema are running out of steam these days, and I’m delighted that Humans of Cinema is setting up a filmmaker-forward seed fund. I’m excited to work with the shortlisted script.”
The jury also expressed a collective request for such a platform. Imran Khan said, “Initiatives to discover and nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent are desperately needed, and I am thrilled to support the HOC Film Fund.”
Describing the co-production fund as the “logical next step”, Aarti Kadav said, “I’m excited to see the young voices and stories we get through this venture and I hope it grows from strength to strength in the years to come, where we’ll see many brilliant and radical voices find support in this ecosystem.”
Aseem Chhabra said, “This will be a great opportunity for a young filmmaker who is interested in making their first feature film and taking it to an international festival. Such efforts are necessary if we want to take Indian cinema to the next level in the global market.”
Harshit Bansal emphasized that there is no shortage of talent in the country, but there are ways to turn the script into reality. “Our intention is to find the next distinctive filmmaking voice from the country, and provide them with not only the financial, production and industry support they need to make their films, but also help them find the right festival and distribution support.
“We feel fortunate to have Shaunak Sen and Vishal Bhardwaj join our initiative as mentors, with Shaunak also associated with the selected project as an executive producer. Their support and insight will be invaluable to the selected filmmaker as well as to us. We are also grateful to Shaunak’s production company, KitterRabbit Films, for giving us vital support for this initiative, and to our jury members, who have been very kind to us because of their goodwill and passion to support good cinema. Providing expertise.”
The fund is open to all Indian citizens aged 18 years and above who have directed at least two short films or one feature film. Interested applicants can submit their projects at a non-refundable fee of Rs 1499.
