Hilal Baydarov's film to be shown in Czechia

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Hilal Baydarov's film Sermon to the Fish will be demonstrated at Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, Azernews reports.

The film festival will take place in the Czech Republic on October 25-30.

The Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival is one of the leading European documentary film festivals and the largest event of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. It draws attention to documentaries notable for their innovative visual style and a deeper social reflection and confrontation. The festival's motto is "Thinking Through Film".

Hilal Baydarov's film will be screened at the documentary festival on October 28. Moreover, cinema fans have a chance to take part in Hilal Baydarov's master class to be held as part of the festival.

Sermon to the Fish tells about a soldier who returns from war and finds everyone in his village has rotten due to a mysterious illness.

The only survivor, his sister, is also slowly rotting, with only a dog to keep her company.

The film was co-produced by Azerbaijan, Mexico, Switzerland, and Turkiye.

The scriptwriters of the film are Hilal Baydarov and Aisu Akjan. The cast includes Rana Askarova, Orkhan Iskandarli, and Huseyn Nasirov.

In mid-August, Sermon to the Fish was premiered at Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

The film received the Pardo Verde WWF Special Mention prize as well as an environmental award from the junior jury.

In September, Hilal Baydarov's film was shown at Busan International Film Festival. The film was screened under A Window on Asian Cinema selection.