National Award-winning filmmaker Gurvinder Singh's latest feature, Rehmat, has been selected for the Main Competition at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, where it will compete for the Pardo d'Oro (Golden Leopard). The film will have its world premiere on August 6, marking India's return to the festival's top competition after four years.
Led by Naseeruddin Shah, Rehmat also stars Suvinder Vicky, Mita Vashisht, Navjot Randhawa, Anita Meet, Diya Kamboj, Harwinder Aujla and Punjabi poet Jaswant Zafar in his screen debut. Adapted from four short stories by acclaimed Punjabi writer Ajeet Cour, the film weaves together three interconnected tales set in contemporary Punjab, exploring grief, faith, violence and the possibility of redemption.
The selection places Rehmat among the contenders for Locarno's highest honour, the Pardo d'Oro, one of world cinema's most respected festival prizes. The film has also been shortlisted for the Pardo for Change, an award recognising works that engage with urgent social, ethical, cultural and environmental issues.
For Gurvinder Singh, the Locarno invitation is another milestone in a career that has consistently found recognition on the international festival circuit. His debut feature, Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan, premiered at the Venice Film Festival before winning three National Film Awards, while Chauthi Koot screened in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section. His subsequent films have further established him as one of India's foremost independent auteurs, known for his deeply rooted portrayals of rural Punjab and its shifting social landscape.
Rehmat is India's only film in Locarno's Main Competition this year, reaffirming the presence of Indian independent cinema at one of Europe's premier auteur-focused festivals. The festival, held annually in the Swiss city of Locarno, has long been regarded as a launchpad for bold, artistically ambitious cinema and an important stop on the global festival calendar.
