Ninth European Film Festival Starts in Baku

Baku / 10.10.18 / Turan: The ninth annual European Film Festival starts in Baku on 10 October.

The festival was organized by the EU office in Azerbaijan, the embassies of the EU countries and Norway in Baku, with the support of the Park Cinema cinema network. The festival, which will end on October 21, will show 19 films from 17 EU countries, Norway and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani viewers will be able to watch works of cinematographers from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, shot in 2016-2018.

Speaking at a press conference, Kestutis Jankauskas, head of the EU representation in Azerbaijan, noted that 128 films were shown during eight previous festivals in Baku. "We want to learn through films about each other"s problems and about lifestyle. The festival will feature all the genres of cinema - comedy, tragedy, romance, and documentaries," said the head of the EU mission.

K. Yankauskas informed that within the framework of the festival directors of several films will arrive in Baku to hold master classes and meetings with the audience. "We want the relations between the public of Azerbaijan and the EU to be even closer, and the integration to be deeper," said the head of the EU representation.

The Director of the marketing department of Park Cinema Vafa Asadova noted that the festival provides an opportunity for the Azerbaijani audience to familiarize themselves with the latest developments in the field of cinematography in Europe.

The festival will be opened with films Kinchem (Hungary) and Wild City (Netherlands).

Speaking at a press conference, the Ambassador of Hungary to Azerbaijan, Victor Söderkeni, said the Hungarian cinematography is experiencing a "Renaissance period." "The government allocates finances for film production. The result of state support was that in 2016 and 2017, two Hungarian films were awarded an Oscar. In addition, Budapest has become a city where a large number of films from different countries are shot, including famous Hollywood films," the Hungarian diplomat said.

Talking about the film Kinchem, the Ambassador noted that the plot was based on real events. "Kinchem is the name of a horse, whose owner lost everything, right up to his friends, during the 1848 revolution. His horse Kinchem is the only thing he had kept. The owner presents his horse for racing, and he wins 54 races out of the 54. Kinchem has been a symbol of struggle, revenge and fame since then," said Söderkeni.

Deputy Head of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Azerbaijan Zumreta Jahich stressed that although their films are "not Hollywood or Bollywood," they are also interesting. "In Baku, we will present the film Wild City dedicated to Amsterdam and its dynamism. Cities are built not only for people, but also for representatives of nature, which are animals. The film on behalf of an old cat tells about the city. In other words, viewers will see Amsterdam through the eyes of a cat," Jahich said.

Note that both films will be shown with subtitles in the Azerbaijani language.

Speaking about the reasons for the lack of subtitles in the Azerbaijani language for other films, the head of the political and social affairs and public relations department of the EU in Azerbaijan Denis Daniilidis noted that the organizers are trying to present new films at the festival and many of them are shown only once.

"For this reason, it is not always possible to translate films into Azerbaijani. Another problem in this matter is the breadth of the audience for which the films are presented. Translation costs will be logical if we know that this particular film will be shown in other cities of Azerbaijan and the audience will be wide," the diplomat said.

Speaking about the films that will be shown during the festival, D. Daniilidis particularly noted the work of Belgian cinematographers under the name "In Syria".

"This is a very strong film about the events in Syria, which, unfortunately, are still going on. We want to show the Azerbaijani audience that we are showing films not only of comedy or romantic genre, but also films that tell about the problems that are of concern to the world at present," D. Daniiliidis said.

Note that the entrance to the film sessions during the festival will be free. -71C-