For the first time the NETPAC jury will take part in the work of KIMFF

Kazan International Muslim Film Festival has attracted the attention of the prestigious NETPAC network for the promotion of Asian cinema. The NETPAC award is given at selected international film festivals with the aim of popularizing Asian cinema by attracting interest in exclusive films and discovering new talents. NETPAC unites the film critics, cinematographers, organizers and curators of film festivals, film distributors and lecturers, is considered the leading authority on Asian cinematography.

At the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival NETPAC will be presented by three countries: Australia – Anne Demi-Jerow, Tajikistan – Sharofat Arabova, Russia (Tatarstan) – Radif Kashapov.

Australian Dr. Anne Demi-Jerow is the vice-president of NETPAC, network for the promotion of Asian cinema and director of Asia Pacific screen lab. Being the first art director of the Brisbane International Film Festival until 2010, she gained a strong reputation due to its programs in the Asia-Pacific region. She also was the first co-director of the Iranian Film Festival in Australia from 2011 till 2017. Anne was awarded a Doctoral degree for her work on Iranian cinematography, and her Routledge publication “Iranian national cinema” was published in 2020. Previously Anne has been a member of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, she has been a judge for the scripts of the Premier’s awards, has worked at numerous special film events and goes on working as the international jury of festivals from Busan to Tehran. In 2003, Dr. Anne Demi-Jerow was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal for her contribution to film industry.

Film director from Tajikistan, Sharofat Arabova is the candidate of historical sciences, film expert, cultural critic, is a member of Network for the promotion of Asian cinema (NETPAC) and Cinematographers Union of Tajikistan. This is the second visit of Sharofat Arabova to Tatarstan, previously she has taken part in KIMFF as a film critic and international jury in 2017. Sharofat takes part in publication of the scientific and theoretical journal “Art Criticism” of the Academy of Sciences as deputy editor-in-chief and in the organizing committee of the Dushanbe International Film Festival as its art director. Sharofat Arabova’s portfolio includes participation in international conferences, forums and presentations, dedicated to the development of culture and study of Central Asia cinematography in India, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Korea, USA.

Russia and Tatarstan among the NETPAC jury will be presented by a documentalist, playwright, journalist, musician, organizer of festivals, guide and Tatar urban culture activist Radif Kashapov. Currently he is deputy editor-in-chief of the website “Realnoye vremya”, an expert of the chak-chak museum, creative director of the Yummy Music label.

Screen and stage play an important role in Radif’s life. Cultural code of Tatars can be traced in each of his works: together with Ilyas Gafarov he made a film named “Tungan Yak” about Tatar emigrants in Europe and “Tungan yak: Suomi”, telling about Finnish Tatars, he also starred in the film “Shigab khazrat” by Salavat Yuzeev, he is a screenwriter of web series “Yehali tatary” (“The Tatars were travelling”), played in theatre plays “Serleuhasez” and “Ishek” on the Kamal theatre stage. Radif has written monologues for theatrical performance “Buyaular”, he is also a journalist of the documentary play “Chatkylar”, one of the authors of the play “Ahan” of the Almetyevsk theatre. 

The XVIII Kazan International Muslim Film Festival will take place from September 7 to 11 with the support of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and in the partnership with the strategic vision group “Russia – Islamic world”.