Azerbaijani pavilion opens in Cannes

By AzerNews

Azerbaijan is represented at the 66th international film festival that is underway in the French city of Cannes.

The annual film festival, which is taking place from May 15 to 26, was opened with Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire and will be closed with "Zulu", directed by Jerome Salle.

World-famous film director Steven Spielberg has been announced as the head of the jury for the main competition.

The delegation from Azerbaijan includes head of the cinematography department of the Culture and Tourism Ministry Yusuf Sheykhov, head of Azerbaijanfilm studio Mushvig Hatamov, head of Azanfilm Fariz Ahmadov, and movie director Ayaz Salayev.

The Azerbaijani pavilion at the Cannes festival features films shot in recent years, advertising and publishing products reflecting the history and present of the Azerbaijani cinema. Business and tourism potential of the country is being presented to the visitors as well. Hatamov will hold a meeting with foreign producers.

An Azerbaijani-Italian short film will also be presented at the Festival. The film '9 X 9' is a collaboration of the Azerbaijan film company NARIMANFILM and the Italian company TORRE.

The filming took place in the Azerbaijani capital Baku and Verona, Italy. The film describes the fate of an architect -- a story about how often he was forced to use his entire talent, the all-encompassing passion to create a space from which he will be excluded.

Azerbaijan was represented in a special pavilion at the Cannes festival for the first time in 2011.

Within the Festival the International Village with its Pavilions is a microcosm, which is designed to provide a highly visible setting where film producing countries showcase their cultural identity, their institutions and the full range of their creativity.

Inaugurated in 2000, the Cannes village initially hosted 12 countries and 15 pavilions. In 2013, over 50 countries enjoy a presence at the Festival.