One of the regular projects of the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers is the script competition. The Union regularly organizes these competitions on various topics, seeing them as an important tool for developing our cinema, increasing competition among authors, and encouraging interest in screenwriting.
One of the main problems in our national cinema is the absence or weakness of strong female characters. Considering this, the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers announced a full-length feature film script competition titled “I Am a Woman” on December 14, 2024. To support those who wanted to take part, regular masterclasses have been held since January.
The open call was open from December 15, 2024, to April 30, 2025. During this period, 96 scripts were submitted, and 71 of them were approved to enter the competition. One of the key points this year is that, for the first time, the number of female applicants is equal to the number of male ones.
In our cinema, both female writers and female characters are still underrepresented. However, it is the Azerbaijani woman who has carried the emotional weight of the political, economic, and military crises that have taken place over the past 30 years. Azerbaijani women have been among the true contributors to the country’s military, economic, and diplomatic achievements: mothers of martyrs, sisters of veterans, village teachers, nurses, businesswomen, schoolgirls and students, scientists, artists of theatre and cinema, athletes, librarians, cleaners—and millions of others who, regardless of profession or beliefs, continue their journey with strength, saying, “I am a woman.” The lack of strong female characters in our modern screenplays also prevents our film actresses from growing both professionally and technically.
It is worth noting that in 2022, the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers organized a short film script competition titled “I Am a Woman”, which attracted significant interest from screenwriters. Taking into account the sensitivity of topics related to women, this time the competition was announced for a feature-length fiction film script under the same title and once again received a great response.
This year, 15 scripts advanced to the final stage of the competition, with a noticeable increase in the number of female authors among them.
Finalists include:
- Azər Allahverdi – “No one will know”
- Aytaj Mammadli – “Triangle”
- Chinara Alishli – “Pawn towards the queen”
- Hajı Safarov – “Nigar’s House”
- Intigam Hajili – “The job-seeking girl”
- Gazanfar Musabayov, Rasul Balayev, Shahi Mardan – “Mountain tulip”
- Lalə Aliyeva – Klıchkova – “Corridor”
- Murad Muradov, Zuleyxa Shirinova – “The mulberry tree”
- Rustam Babazadeh, Ali-Sattar Guliyev – “The bride”
- Samed Aghayev – “The lights of the neighbor’s house”
- Sara Huseynova – “Sara”
- Tavus Aghayeva – “The sound of silence”
- Ulviye Heydarova – “The face”
- Ulviye Heydarova – “Angels”
- Birce – “The reach of my voice is small”
The winners will be announced on August 2, 2025. The winners will be awarded diplomas and cash prizes: 1st place – 5000 AZN, 2nd place – 3500 AZN, 3rd place – 2500 AZN.
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