DokuBaku announced the winners

DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival (BSFF) has come to an end which AUF is one of the main partners.

The program of the festival consisted of 50 films selected from more than 200 applications while the theme was “Feelings ±” and finalists represented 30 countries.

A jury led by renowned documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky announced the winners on November 7.

Ali Isa Jabarov from the Secretariat of the Union said they are pleased the cooperation with DokuBaku and are ready for this cooperation every year:

“We are determined to provide more support for the upcoming festivals. The festival has many benefits for Azerbaijani documentary film. One of them is that international cooperation is as important in our documentary as it is in feature films- both in the field of scriptwriting and production. There is a need for cooperation, especially in documentary film dramaturgy. We have almost no tradition of full-length documentary films. This is due to the dramatic stage. On the other hand, documentary film budgets should increase, directors should be given the opportunity to observe the hero for months, if necessary, for years.

 

Here are the winner films of the festival in each category:

 

  • «The Fantastic» by Maija Blåfield (Finland); the best local short documentary. For deeply reflecting the boundaries between real and imaginary.
  • «The Last» by Fariz Akhmedov (Azerbaijan); the best local short documentary- For the pieces of poetic life reflecting the last chapter of the life of Vitaly, one of the last inhabitants of the Kurdili island in the Caspian Sea.
  • «From the Neighborhood» No main competition by Diogo Varela Silva (Portugal). For the lost glory of the old city, the memories raised by its inhabitants, and the dialogues about the mystical atmosphere brought by the narrators who spoke of their childhood.

 

Special Jury Mentions films:

 

  • «A Butcher’s Daughter» (In the local competition) by Leylakhanim Ganbarli-For a subtle anthropological approach to describing his father’s daily activities.
  • «Rhythm of Forgetting» (International short film competition) by Ginou Choueir (Lebanon) for taking us on an interesting personal journey of the director’s memories, experiences, and fears.
  • «My Quarantine Bear» (no main competition) by Weijia Ma and three feature films «Taming the Garden» by Salome Jashi, «I’ll Stand by You» by Virginija Vareikyte and Maximilien Dejoie, and «80.000 Schnitzel» by Hannah Schweier.
  • «My Quarantine Bear» (no main competition) by Weijia Ma ( France) For demonstrating the difficulties of quarantine life for a creative person, episodes that reflect the light atmosphere and the emotional aspects of people with limited freedom.
  • «Taming the Garden» by Salome Jashi (International feature competition) Georgia.
  • «I’ll Stand by You» by Virginija Vareikyte and Maximilien Dejoie (Lithuania)
  • «80.000 Schnitzel» by Hannah Schweier (Germany)

 

 

Winners in each category were awarded with diplomas and iHuman handmade statuette. Also, Mirsadig Agazadeh, Murad Ibrahimbekov, Khamis Muradov, Nizami Abbas and Ali Isa Jabbarov received commemorative prizes. Special iCyborg prizes were awarded to the outstanding representatives of Azerbaijani and world cinema Rustam Ibrahimbekov, Vitaly Mansky, Vagif Mustafayev and Chingiz Rasulzade (posthumously) for their special achievements.

İN LİEU LAST WORDS: DokuBaku established in 2017 aimed to present a showcase of documentary films from all over the world. The festival also intends to find new names and support local documentary filmmakers.

The partners of the festival are the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmaking, the Ministry of Culture, Baku Media Center, Colibri Arts, the Français d’Azerbaijan Institute and YARAT Contemporary Art Space.

aki.az