The closing ceremony and award ceremony for the winners of the XV Baku International Film Festival took place at the Nizami Cinema Center, Day.Az reports.
At the opening of the evening, the director of the Baku International Film Festival Fehruz Shamiev said that about 800 films were submitted to the film festival. Over the course of five days, about 80 films produced by 26 countries were shown at the Nizami Cinema Center, including Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Korea, China, India, Colombia, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, Croatia , Iran, etc. Admission to the shows was free.
“The festival staff treated the selection of films shown with special sensitivity, including the jury in their final verdict. And to you, film lovers, special thanks for watching films during the festival days. I think that these days were remembered not only for the film screenings , but also by establishing new connections, discussing the role of cinema in art,” said Fehruz Shamiev.
The jury in various categories includes famous directors, filmmakers and producers – Huseyn Mehdiyev, Zaur Gasimly, Irada Gezalova, Nasimi Aliyev, Teymur Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Siddiq Barmak (Afghanistan), Mahmut Fazil Joshkun, Can Ozbatur, Zyumra Ertürk (Turkey), Ismail Monsef (Iran), Evgeny Maizel (Russia), Eldar Yoldashev (Uzbekistan) and others.
The winners in the nominations were awarded the “Golden Pomegranate” (Qızıl nar) prize and special diplomas.
Special Jury Prize – film “Baby” – director Irina Bas (Russia),
Best Cinematographer – Daniel Guliyev, “Monologue of a Lonely Man” (Azerbaijan, director Emin Efendiyev),
Best script – “Sunday”, director and scriptwriter Shakir Kholikov (Uzbekistan),
Best Director – “Rosinante”, directed by Baran Gunduzalp (Türkiye),
Best feature film – “Bauyrina salu”, directed by Askhat Kuchinchirekov (Kazakhstan).
Winners of the international competition in the short film category
Special Jury Prize – “Taxidermist” – directors Behzad Alavi, Susan Salamat (Iran), “We will not go on an empty stomach”, director Yigit Hepsev (Turkey),
Best Animation – “Letters from a Father”, director Alexey Evstigneev (France),
Best Documentary – “Valeria”, directed by Sara Djurincic (Croatia),
Best Director – “The Pit”, directors Christian Beck and Oliver Schwabe (Germany),
Best Feature Film – “Almost Certainly Wrong”, directed by Cansu Baydar (Türkiye).
Winners of the “Talents of Asia” competition
Best Film – “Palestine Islands”, directed by Nour Ben Selem and Julien Menantou (France),
Special Jury Prize – “The Body Merchant”, directed by Alireza Shakeri (Iran).
Prizes of the Center for Young Cinematographers
The Umesh Chronicles, directed by Pooja Kaul (India),
“Desire for Sound”, directed by Shin-hyo Kang (Korea).
Local competition winners
The film “Cell” is directed by Murad Allahverdiev, Rukhulla Rahimov, Farid Eyvazov, Ilaha Nurullaeva, Shahin Huseynli, Tural Aleskerli, Mirtalib Hasanov, Sevindzh Guliyeva, Saadat Gurbanova, Sarkhan Nadjiev.
Special Jury Prize – documentary film “Grandfather’s Property”, directed by Nijat Gulam,
Best documentary film – “Grandfather’s House”, directed by Leylahanim Ganbarli,
Best Screenplay – “The Pine Garden”, directed by Ilkin Umarov
Best director’s work – “The Second Color of the Red Planet”, director Azer Guliyev,
Best Feature Film – “The Well”, directed by Rufat Ray.
The Baku International Film Festival, established by the Center for Young Cinematographers, was held from October 4 to 8 with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Film Agency. The project is part of the Baku Cinema Breeze (BCB) film festival. This major event was also attended by the DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival, the Animafilm International Animation Festival, the Cinemo International Mobile Film Festival, and the Ata Turk World International Animation Film Festival. Established in 2004, the festival operated under the name START in previous years. The Baku International Film Festival, the longest-running festival in our country, has over the years become a venue for screening films that have received awards and success at the Cannes, Venice and Berlin Film Festivals, as well as the Oscars.
The festival was held with the support of the Nizami Cinema Center, the Azerbaijanfilm film studio, the State Film Fund, the British Council, and the Azerbaijan Producers Guild.
Information support – Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az, Azernews.Az.