Baku Int'l Film Festival kicks off in Nizami Cinema

The 15th Baku International Film Festival has officially opened at Nizami Cinema Center, Azernews reports.

The Baku International Film Festival, established by the Young Filmmakers Center, is being held this year from October 4 to 8 with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Film Agency.

The project is part of the Baku Cinema Breeze (BCB) film festival. This major event also features prominent festivals such as the DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival, ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival, and the Ata Turk World International Animation Film Festival.

During the opening, festival director Fehruz Shamiyev noted that this year the Baku International Film Festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary and has introduced many talented individuals and interesting films to a large audience over the years.

Founded in 2004, the festival previously operated under the name START. The Baku International Film Festival is the longest-running festival in our country and has become a venue for showcasing awarded and successful films from the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals, as well as films that have received Oscars.

"The festival, which annually brings together filmmakers, aims to expand its audience in the coming years, encouraging local authors and creating opportunities for creative discussions," said Fehruz Shamiyev.

Acting Director of the Azerbaijan Film Agency and Honored Artist Orkhan Fikratoglu stated that every festival contributes to the development of cinematography.

"We are very pleased to be at the opening of such a successful festival project, which has come a long way over the past 15 years. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the traditional holding of this festival and wish success to the participants," he said.

In their remarks, well-known filmmakers Zaur Gasimli, Ruslan Sabirli, and Nasimi Aliyev stressed the importance of the festival.

For their contributions to the development of national cinema, the main prize of the festival, the Q?z?l Nar (Golden Pomegranate), was awarded to the People's Artists of Azerbaijan, Gamida Omarova and Shukufe Yusupova.

Over the course of five days at the Nizami Cinema Center, 79 films from 26 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Korea, China, India, Colombia, Russia, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, Croatia, Iran, and others, will be screened. Admission to the screenings is free.

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the festival has prepared a series of innovations, one of which is a competition for feature films. Thus, the international competition program of the festival will now include both feature and short films.

The national competition program includes short narrative and documentary films, as well as social videos. A separate category has been created for students to compete.

In total, 25 screen works are participating in the national competition program. Among the non-competitive programs is "Our Language," which showcases films made in the Azerbaijani language by the compatriots living in different countries around the world.

The jury comprises renowned directors, filmmakers, and producers in various categories, including Guseyn Mekhtiev, Zaur Gasimli, Irada Gezalo?lu, Nasimi Aliyev, Teymur Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Siddiq Barmak (Afghanistan), Mahmut Fazil Joshkun, Can Ozbatur, Zumra Erturk (Turkey), Ismail Monsef (Iran), Evgeny Maizel (Russia), Eldar Yoldashev (Uzbekistan), and others.

On the opening day, two films were screened. The festival is held with the support of the Nizami Cinema Center, the AzerbaijanFilm Studio, the State Film Fund, the British Council, and the Azerbaijan Producers Guild.

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