Azerbaijan joins Kazan Int'l Muslim Film Festival

Kazan International Muslim Film Festival (KIFMC) has opened its doors to cinema lovers.

The festival's main goal is the experience exchange of the workers in the sphere of culture and arts of Russia and Muslim countries of the neighboring and far-abroad countries, displaying the creative achievements of the Muslim cinematographers, Azernews reports.

A number of events are organized within the festival, including a photo exhibition timed to the 100th anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Note that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree declaring 2023 the Year of Heydar Aliyev. In this regard, commemorative events are being held not only in Azerbaijan, but also in many other countries.

Thus, a photo exhibition and out-of-competition screening were organized within the framework of the Kazan Film Festival.

The Mir Cinema also screened the documentary "Heydar Aliyev - a man of legend" (produced by CBC TV) as part of the "Special Event of the Festival" program.

The opening of the program "Special Event of the Festival", dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev, was attended by the

KIFMC Executive Director, the head of Tatarkino Milyausha Aytuganova, Azerbaijani film director, jury member Fariz Ahmedov, chairman of the regional public organization of the Azerbaijan National Cultural Autonomy of Tatarstan Bahram Mustafayev and other officials.

As Milyausha Aytuganova emphasized, warm relations have traditionally developed between Russia and Azerbaijan, and Heydar Aliyev played a key role in this.

?It is symbolic that the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev have become the first event of the current Kazan Film Festival, which runs from September 5 to 9. It is a great honor that we organized a thematic photo exhibition and screening of the film at the Mir Cinema. Moreover, almost 20,000 Azerbaijani diaspora lives in Tatarstan," she said.

Fariz Ahmadov said that the photo exhibition presents archival photos from Heydar Aliyev's meetings with political and cultural figures.

Here is a photo from a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, dated 2002, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Baku, as well as photos from the 7th Congress of Filmmakers, a joint photo with singer Muslim Magomayev, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and others.

The 9th Kazan International Muslim Film Festival will run until September 9.

The motto of the festival is "To the dialogue of cultures through the culture of dialogue".

In 2022, Azerbaijani films were screened as part of the festival. The program "Russia - Islamic World" featured Alisattar Guliyev's film "Olimpia", while Elvin Mirzoyev's film "Slave" was demonstrated within the "Turkic World" program.

Gulu Askarov's film "Fence" was shown as part of the "Short-length feature films" program, while Elvin Ashirov's film "Where is your home" was included in the "Short-length documentaries" program.

In addition, Azerbaijani film director, People's Artist Ogtay Mir-Gasim held a master class on Fundamentals of Natural Science and Modern Cinematography.