As previously mentioned, on January 24 of this year, a group of film critics came together to establish the Azerbaijan Guild of Film Critics and Film Scholars Guild.
A vote was held during a meeting attended by Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Art associate professor, art expert, and pedagogue Nadir Badalov; film critics Aliya Dadashova, Aygun Aslanli, Nazrin Mahu, Ilgar Guliyev, Ulvi Mehdi, Haji Safarov; film scholars Toghrul Abbasov, Shahla Amrli, Sevinc Elsevar; editor of kinoinfo.az Ramil Alakbarov; and secretaries of Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers Oleg Safaraliyev and Ali Isa Jabbarov. As a result, Nadir Badalov was elected chairman of the Guild, and film critics Haji Safarov and Aygun Aslanli as deputy chairs.
The Guild began its work by launching a local film critics’ award, aiming to support film production in the country and encourage higher artistic quality in audiovisual works. Led by the Guild’s chairman, Nadir Badalov, a group of 17 film writers reviewed nearly 40 feature and short films, both fiction and documentary, that were shown on the big screen in 2024 — either through theatrical release or at film festivals across the country. They evaluated the films in professional categories.
On June 3, the award ceremony of the Azerbaijan Guild of Film Critics and Film Scholars was held at the Nizami Cinema Center, where the winners of the Guild’s prizes were announced and honored.
The event opened with congratulatory speeches by Oleg Safaraliyev, representative of the Guild’s founding organization and secretary of the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers, and Nadir Badalov, the Guild’s chairman. They emphasized that the establishment of the Guild is an important step for the development of film studies and the local cinema industry, and they wished success for its future work. The awards were presented to the winners by the editor-in-chief of kinoinfo.az Ramil Alakbarov, film critics Ulvi Mehdi, Aliya Dadashova, Nazrin Mahu, Sadagat Kamal, Elza Akhundova, Haji Safarov, poet Gismat Rustamov, board member of the Filmmakers’ Union and film critic Sevda Sultanova, film scholars Shahla Amrli and Shahana Urfan, executive secretary of the Union of Filmmakers Ali Isa Jabbarov, and the Guild’s chairman Nadir Badalov.
Here is the list of winners:
Best Screenplay:
“The Door” – Written by Vusal Ahmadzadeh, Emin Afandiyev, Alikhan Rajabov
Awarded for a debut work that brings together different layers of society within a labyrinthine plot and highlights social issues through comedy.
Best Directing:
“Monologue of a Lonely Man” – Directed by Emin Afandiyev
Awarded for the dynamic visual storytelling and the ability to convey the inner world of the characters.
Best Cinematography:
“Meeting with Sama” – Shahmar Safaroghlu
Awarded for creating a visually rich action atmosphere and skillfully adapting to different locations with agility.
Best Music Composition:
“The Lost Diary” – Sadagat Karimova
Awarded for the emotional expression of ethnographic motifs within a domestic setting.
Best Production Design:
“Taghiyev: OIL” – Production Designer: Sabuhi Atababayev; Costume Designer: Vusal Rahim
Awarded for vividly and meticulously recreating the atmosphere of a historical period through sets, costumes, and décor.
Best Actor: (two winners)
“Monologue of a Lonely Man” – Mahir Darvish
Awarded for skillfully expressing a father’s inner pain and hopelessness through body language.
“The Door” – Nurlan Rustamov
Awarded for convincingly portraying the emotional transitions of a man doomed to failure across various situations.
Best Actress:
“Apathy -1” – Shahla Aligizi
Awarded for skillfully portraying both the character’s inner and social unrest, creating a universal and compelling image.
Best Film:
“Monologue of a Lonely Man”
Awarded for its humanistic portrayal of the father–son relationship set against the backdrop of the Karabakh war. The award was presented to the film’s producer, Sarvar Bayramov.
Best Short Fiction Film:
“The Tape” – Mirvugar Abdulov
Awarded for its successful artistic interpretation of the harmony between a drive for innovation and loyalty to tradition.
Best Short Documentary:
“Moon without a house” – Atanur Nabiyeva
Awarded for poetically presenting the reality of environmental problems turning into personal tragedies for people. Since Atanur Nabiyeva was not in the country, the award was presented to her parents.
In addition, the Azerbaijan Guild of Film Critics and Film Scholars awarded a special jury prize to the docudrama “Return of the Projectionist” by Orkhan Aghazadeh. Although not officially an Azerbaijani production, the film has won many awards at international festivals in 2024 and successfully expresses the universal idea of “cinema and time” through the perspective of an ordinary Azerbaijani citizen. Since the director is currently studying in Paris, the award was accepted on his behalf by the film’s director of photography, Daniel Guliyev, who received the prestigious German Camera Award for his work on this film.
aki.az