Zerkalo, October 15 2005 edition of the newspaper: “Shout” and “Gold” of the 1st International Festival of Muslim Cinema, by N. Kazimova
The 1st International Festival of Muslim Cinema took place in the capital of Tatarstan, and gathered cinematographers from 20 different countries. The film festival was part of the celebrations surrounding the 1,000th anniversary of the foundation of Kazan, and therefore benefited from the active support of the Office of the President of Tatarstan, the Ministry of Culture, the administration of the city of Kazan and the Religious Administration of the Muslims of Tatarstan.
Russia's Mufti Council and the Islamic World TV company are planning to turn the festival into an annual forum for Muslim cinematographers. There was no such kind of cinematographic forum before.
The highest award of the festival is the “Gold Minbar” statuette, which resembles a reel of cine-film with the ends turning into waves which carry an ark transporting a minbar – the niche in the wall of a mosque from which the imam preaches to the assembly.
The organizers’ idea behind the gold minbar was that cinema must spread light and peace. Zaudi Mamirgov, the festival's director, pointed out that the main aim of the festival was to reveal the inner world of Muslim life, to show that Muslims are the same as the Christians, Jews, or Buddhists.
“Unfortunately, it is a regrettable fact that the image of Muslims is very distorted in films and on television. If a Chechen, he is always a bandit with a gun, an Afghan is always an uneducated drug dealer, and an Azerbaijani is always a merchant, &c. Our aim is to create an impartial image of Muslims – people of a high culture, kind neighbours, sensitive husbands, responsible heads of families, patriots – for Russia and the world to see.”
Although the festival is “Muslim”, it is open to contributions from representatives of other confessions who have also produced films about Muslims or Islamic culture. An example of such a contribution is Vladimir Khotinenko's film “The Muslim”. This film tells the story of a young Russian soldier who returns from captivity in Afghanistan, where he converted to Islam, and his attempt to remain a true Muslim back in his village in Russia. The story takes a tragic turn when the drunken Russian Orthodox villagers refuse to accept the “new” man. He becomes an outcast and is forced to struggle daily with the intolerant villagers.
More than 70 films took part in the festival – films from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Iran, and also from Poland, Lithuania, Canada, and the UK.
The head of the international jury was playwright and director Rustam Ibragimbekov. Other members of the jury were: Kirill Razlogov – film critic; Nur Sherif – Egyptian actor; Muna Vasif – Syrian movie star; and Jamil Farajev – head of the Department of Cinema at the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan. Stars of Russian cinematography like Marat Basharov, Alexander Filippenko, Lydia Fedoseyeva-Shukhsina, Lev Durov and Liya Akhejakova also supported the festival.
There are three different nominations for awards: feature film, documentary, and animation. Winners will be awarded a gold, silver or bronze “Minbar”. Selected winners will also be awarded Special Prizes from the President of Tatarstan and from his Minister of Culture; awards for best male and female actor; and awards for contributions with special “Islamic appeal”. Our country is honoured to be nominated in all three categories.
Azerbaijan has two runners for “Best Feature Film”: “Sorcerer”, by Ogtay Mirkasimov, and “The Grandson of the Mountains” by Ilgar Safat. Accompanying the directors to the festival are the actors Fuad Poladov and Ayan Mirkasimova.
Also taking part is the documentary film “The Shout”, by Khamiz Muradov – a film about the destruction of Azerbaijani monuments in Karabakh by Armenians.
The jury of the “Gold Minbar” and the festival's visitors will also be able to see an unusual film: Elchin Akhundov's animation “The Gold”. Last year's only animation film tells the story of refugee children and their best friend, a prize-winning dog. Quite frankly, “The Gold” does not stand much of a chance in the competition, as contenders like “A Thousand and One Nights” from Turkey are very strong.
Besides the awards, the festival's best films will be broadcast on Russian television channels and made available for rent. But whether or not Russians will be able to watch Azerbaijan's “Sorcerer” will only be known when the jury decides on 11 September.
