"Pomegranate Orchard" screened in Brussels

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan’s "Pomegranate Orchard" film has been successfully screened at East of West Film Days.

East of West Film Days is a festival traditionally held in Brussels by the Bozar Fine Arts Center, one of the largest cultural institutions in Belgium.

The event is dedicated to the cinema of the Eastern Partnership countries and focuses on stimulate creative exchanges and intercultural dialogue.

This year, the festival was  held virtually amid coronavirus pandemic. All the films were available on AT Klub (Arthouse Traffic) digital  platform.

"Pomegranate Orchard" is a joint production film of the Azerbaijanfilm studio and Buta Film company, shot by Ilgar Najaf  in 2016 by order of the Ministry of Culture.

The film tells about an old man who lives along with his grandson and daughter-in-law in the decrepit house amidst a huge pomegranate garden. Sudden comeback of his wayward son changes the gentle rhythm of their peaceful existence. Forgotten bitter memories come back and even more, new challenges are in store for them.

The world premiere of the film was held within the "East of the West" competition of the Czech Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Notably, the film was also included in the long list of applicants for the Oscar 2017 in the nomination "The best film in a foreign language".

Scriptwriters are Asif Rustamov, Ilgar Najaf and Roelof Jan Minneboo (the Netherlands). Operator-director is Aykhan Salar (Germany), animation director - Rafig Nasirov, executive producer - Akif Aliyev, and producer - Mushfig Hatamov.

The cast includes Gurban Ismayilov, Anar Hasanov, Samimi Farhadov and Hasan Agayev.