Israeli glory in Azerbaijan

Israeli film is enjoying growing success in the most unlikely places: A series of Israeli films were shown in the Republic of Azerbaijan and were received enthusiastically.

Less satisfied was Azerbaijan's neighbor, Iran, who was infuriated by the showing of "Zionist films" in a Muslim country.

The initiative was made by the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Israeli embassy in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Local authorities in the Muslim-Shiite state accepted the proposal made by representatives of the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs and the embassy to hold a week of Israeli movies.

Six Israeli movies were selected: Turn left at the End of the World, Shlomi's Stars, Columbian Love, The Syrian Bride, Taking a Wife and Or. Additionally, several student films from the Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television in Jerusalem were also shown.

Prior to each movie, an episode from a TV program on tourism to Israel was also shown. The program was filmed by an Azerbaijani who had visited Israel.

A total of 14 screenings were made throughout the country; however one screening set to be shown in the city of Lenkoran, 30 kilometers north of the Iranian border, was cancelled at the last moment at the request of the local authorities who feared that the screening of Israeli movies so close to Iran's border would create security tension.

Reponses to the films were positive and the local audience, secular but highly conservative, was somewhat embarrassed by the nude scenes that appeared in most of the Israeli films.

During a nude scene in the movie Turn Left at the End of the World, in the city of Sumgait, the majority of the audience left the hall. Yet despite this incident, the majority was able to identify with the Israeli movies. In total some 1,000 watched the movies.

The week long event received a lot of attention in the local media which of course infuriated Azerbaijan's neighbor Iran. The Iranian's in turn, conveyed their harsh protests.

/www.ynetnews.com/