Kinoyazar.az, the first and only film studies website established on the initiative of the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers celebrates its 3rd anniversary.
Launched in May 2022, the website was conceptualized and is currently led by the Executive Secretary of the Union, director Ali Isa Jabbarov. Its core contributors include AUF Board member and film critic Sevda Sultanova, as well as film critics Aygun Aslanli, Aliya Dadashova, and Haji Safarov.
The structure of the website, developed based on Christopher Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey model (proposed by Haji Safarov), consists of six main sections: The Call to adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting the mentor, Approach, the Ordeal, Reward, and The resurrection.
Organized thematically, the website features analytical articles, reviews, interviews, and screenplays dedicated to both local and international films — spanning classic cinema as well as contemporary works.
Over the course of its three-year activity, the website has attracted dozens of new young authors, including both students and professional ones. At present, the site hosts more than 400 original articles and translations. Available in both Azerbaijani and English, the platform currently boasts an audience of over sixty thousand readers, according to recent metrics.
As previously reported, this year, at the 78th edition of the festival, Kinoyazar.az was granted official accreditation and joined the ranks of media representatives covering the event directly on-site. One of the site’s contributors, film critic Haji Safarov, is currently in Cannes.
Timely articles and reports about the films screened at the festival, which runs until May 24, are being published on Kinoyazar.az. This marks the first occurrence of such coverage in the history of Azerbaijani film studies and media. Haji Safarov, one of the authors to Kinoyazar.az, had previously attended the 72nd San Sebastián Film Festival in 2024 as a representative of the platform.
Notably, Kinoyazar.az also maintains active social media accounts (Feysbuk, instaqram). The development of film studies in our country is among the strategic priorities of theAzerbaijan Union of Filmmakers. As part of this strategy, the Union not only supports the Kinoyazar project but also contributes to film publications and, earlier this year in January, supported the establishment of the Azerbaijani Film Critics and Scholars Guild.
aki.az