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 Ahmadov is the director; Ismail Iman and Fariz Ahmadov 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 Ahmadov 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.
