BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. The film “Steps in
Silence,” produced by the Baku Media Center, won an award at the
NNW International Film Festival, one of Europe’s most prestigious
film events.
At the 18th festival, held in Gdynia, Poland, 60 films from
around the world were screened. At the conclusion of the festival,
“Steps in Silence” was awarded a “Special Mention from the
Jury.”
The film, a co-production of the Baku Media Center, Drygas Film
Production, and Polish Television (TVP), with financial support
from the Ministry of Culture, the Film Agency, and the Polish Film
Institute, depicts the process of demining territories in Karabakh
that have been liberated from occupation.
The main characters of the film are a group of women engaged in
demining. These women, who constantly face invisible dangers, are
portrayed as caring mothers and elegant, well-groomed women, in
addition to their risky and responsible work. The danger in their
daily lives, the struggle between willpower, elegance, and
strength, and the tension between death and survival - all of this
is conveyed to the viewer through the language of profound silence
throughout the film.
The film’s executive producer is Arzu Aliyeva, president of the
Baku Media Center; the co-producer is Vita Žalakevičiūtė (Poland);
Orman Aliyev is the producer; Fariz Ahmedov is the director; Ismail
Iman and Fariz Ahmedov are the screenwriters; Mateusz Czuchnowski
is the cinematographer; Rasim Ismayilov is the editor; and the
creative producers are Maciej Drigas (Poland) and Tahir Aliyev.
This feature-length documentary by Fariz Akhmadov previously won
the “Best Visual Design” award at the 66th Kraków Film Festival.
The film will also be screened at the “Astra” Film Festival, which
will take place in Romania from October 17 to 25.
The successful presentation of Azerbaijani cinema on
international platforms is of immense importance for promoting our
country’s cultural heritage and documentary potential on a global
scale.
