Gurvinder Singh’s latest film, ‘Rehmat’, has been officially selected by the 79th Locarno Film Festival (August 5-15) in its Main Competition section ‘Concorso Internazionale’. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Suvinder Vicky, Mita Vasisht, Navjot Randhawa and newcomers Diya Kamboj, Harwinder Aujla and Jaswant Zafar, the film will compete for the festival’s top prize, the Pardo d’Oro (Golden Leopard) which carries a cash award of CHF 75,000. The prestigious international film festival is held annually in Locarno, Switzerland, since 1946.
The world premiere of the film has been slated for August 6 in Locarno. The film is based on the short stories of the veteran Delhi-based Punjabi writer Ajeet Cour and has been jointly produced by her daughter, painter Arpana Caur. It presents three interconnected stories in present-day Punjab. A woman secretly shelters a wounded stranger within her home, while his family endures the weight of grief and impossible choices. Meanwhile, a mysterious elderly man arrives in a village, calling himself God.
In addition to the Main Competition, the artistic team of the Locarno Film Festival has nominated ‘Rehmat’ for a special award, the ‘Pardo for Change’. Thirteen feature films that engage with pressing environmental, ethical, social, and cultural questions of broad social relevance will compete for this award. Through a transversal selection drawn from both competitive and non-competitive sections of the Festival, the ‘Pardo for Change’ will award the film that most powerfully articulates these themes. A Jury of three personalities from the world of cinema and culture will award the film that best represents these values, including CHF 20,000 to the director(s).
Gurvinder Singh’s earlier films include ‘Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan’, ‘Chauthi Koot’ and ‘Adh Chanani Raat’. His work has previously been officially presented at Cannes, Venice, Rotterdam, Busan and other important film festivals and cultural institutions across the world. He is the winner of National Award for Best Director and twice for Best Punjabi Film. ‘Rehmat’ is his fourth Punjabi language feature.