Nizami Cinema Center holds awarding ceremony of 16th Baku Int'l Film Festival

The Nizami Cinema Center has hosted the awards ceremony of the 16th Baku International Film Festival, organized by the Young Filmmakers Center with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Azerbaijan Film Agency, Azernews reports.

Over five days, 78 films from 34 countries were screened, with all screenings open to the public.

"The festival annually brings together filmmakers and representatives from different countries, encourages contemporary authors, and creates opportunities for creative development, showcasing works, and exchanging experience. Since last year, the festival has included a feature film competition and offers four competitive programs, each evaluated by a separate jury," said the festival director Fehruz Shamiyev.

In the international program of debut feature films, 10 entries were judged by a jury consisting of Nadir Badalov (Azerbaijan), Niki Karimi (Iran), Zeynep Atakan (Turkiye), and Igor Sukman (Belarus).

The international short film jury included Faruk Guven (Turkiye), Rufat Asadov (Azerbaijan), and Carmen Gray (New Zealand).

The jury for the Talents of Asia competition featured Ali-Sattar Guliyev and Daniel Guliyev (Azerbaijan), and Roman Dorofeev (Russia).

Within the national competition, 16 short feature and documentary films, along with 5 student works, were presented. The jury consisted of Fariz Ahmadov, Reza Siami, Farida Jalilova, and Sevda Sultanova.

Audiences also enjoyed out-of-competition screenings. Under the program Our Language, films shot in Azerbaijani by compatriots living abroad were showcased. Cooperation with the British Council enabled special screenings of BAFTA candidate films.

The festival’s main award was the Golden Pomegranate (Q?z?l Nar). In addition, winners in various categories received special prizes and diplomas.

Winners of th 16th Baku Internatinal film Festival:

International Competition of Debut Feature Films

• Best Film – The Lesson Learned / Director: Bálint Szimler / Hungary
• Best Director – Karst / Director: Yang Suiyi / China
• Best Screenplay – Bonds, Roots and Passions / Screenwriter: Ferit Karahan, Director: Sunay Terzio?lu / Turkiye
• Best Cinematography – Guardian of the Field / Cinematographer: Morteza Ghafouri, Director: Seyed Mohammad Reza Kheradmandan / Iran
• Jury Special Prize – The Kiss of the Grashopper / Director: Elmar Imamov / Germany, Italy, Luxembourg

International Short Film Competition

• Best Fiction Film – . Baadarane / Director: Samah El Kadi / Lebanon
• Best Documentary – When the Land Leaves / Director: Frederico Lobo / Portugal
• Best Animation – Profitable Place / Director: Alex Maksimov / Belarus
• Best Director of a Fiction Film – The Spectacle / Director: Balint Kenyeres / Hungary, France
• Jury Special Mentions:
  – The Last Sunday of May / Director: Alejandro Bordier / Luxembourg
  – Village of Ballet Dancers / Director: Fatih Diren / Turkiye

Talents of Asia Competition

• Best Film – The Mould / Director: Mohammad Reza Nourmandipour / Iran
• Jury Prize – The Deer's Tooth/ Director: Saif Hammash / Palestine
• Jury Special Mention – A Day in Life / Director: Ye Ouyang/ China

National Competition Winners

• Best Fiction Film – Early Feelings / Director: Nurlan Hasanli
• Best Director – In the Gorge / Director: Abulfaz Iskandarov
• Best Documentary – Palaces of Memory / Director: Metleb Mukhtarov
• Best Student Film – The Trial / Director: Orkhan Babayev
• Jury Diploma – Loca Tacentia/ Director: Rena Ahmadova
• Jury Special Mention – Vusala Gasimova, cinematographer of "I Returned" / Director: Mahammad Mammadov
• Jury Special Mention – Nigar Suleyman, "For original music and productive contribution to cinema"

Within Baku Cinema Breeze 2025, Cinema Days of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan were also held.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.