Kazan International Film Festival «Altyn minbar» was opened in Kazan

On the eve, representatives of the film industry from different countries gathered in Kazan City Hall in honor of the opening of the XX Kazan International Film Festival “Altyn minbar”. Traditionally, the ceremony was preceded by a red carpet.

It was attended by the director of the TV series "Resurrected Ertugrul" and "Foundation: Osman", chairman of the jury Metin Gunay and actor Chagry Shensoy, who is familiar to viewers from roles in the TV series "Foundation: Osman" and "Magnificent Century. The Empire of Kosem."

Among Russian stars the event was not missed by theatre, film, audio-dubbing and dubbing actress, People's Artist of Russia Svetlana Kryuchkova, theater and film actor, film director, screenwriter, People's Artist of Russia Sergey Nikonenko, theater and film actress Anastasia Krylova and others.

Very soon the guests of the forum will see the visitors of the film festival at creative meetings and special events of the project. In the meantime, they were welcomed in a solemn atmosphere by Farid Mukhametshin, Chairman of the State Council of Tatarstan.

“We are happy to meet you again. At the first festival 20 years ago, we accepted only 40 film works from 12 countries. This year the selection committee reviewed 814 applications from 47 countries. This once again confirms that Tatarstan is a center of interfaith harmony and a model of good neighborly relations,” Mukhametshin said.

He added that during the film project the audience will see 141 films, of which 51 are participating in the competition program. That evening, the audience could get a general impression of the competition program from the teasers presented during the ceremony. Farid Mukhametshin emphasized that each of the films popularizes universal spiritual values.

The same idea was supported by Rushan hazrat Abbyasov, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia and the DUM of the Russian Federation: “There are many film festivals in the world, but ours stands out among others. This forum was invented to show good and moral films to the general public. Today this message is in demand more than ever in a world where there are those who distort such fundamental concepts as family. We have an obligation to preserve our spirituality and traditional values. In this sense, cinema acts as a tool in achieving this goal”.

This is largely the reason why the film festival returned to its original name – “Altyn minbar”. In the opinion of Irada Ayupova, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, it best reflects the essence of the festival.

“In this phrase, the word 'altyn' implies the values of humanity, 'minbar' - the spiritual pulpit. Today more than ever we need a tribune from which we could convey the true values of civilization through cinema, art and culture in general. At our film project we talk about kindness and love. I want to thank everyone here for sharing this value system with us,” Ayupova emphasized.

She also read out a letter from Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, who warmly welcomed the guests of the film project and thanked all those involved in the film festival for their contribution to its organization.

“Altyn minbar” aims not only to entertain the viewer, but to inspire good deeds, strengthen national cultural identity and foster strong family relationships, which is especially important in the Year of the Family in Russia,” the letter said.

At the end of the Film Festival “Altyn minbar”, the names of this year's winners will be announced. A total of 13 awards and six special prizes will be presented, statuettes of which were presented at the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, the audience honored the participants of another film project - “Cinema in 7 Days”.

This year, 10 teams representing the BRICS countries participated.

“In the five years of the project's existence, the participants have made 40 short films that travel all over the world. It is a great honor for us to work in Tatarstan. Everyone who has filmed here is endlessly in love with this region,” said Stanislav Ershov, the project's general producer.

In a solemn atmosphere, the young talents were presented with well-deserved prizes. The third place was taken by the film “Love” by Ilya Severov from Russia, the second place to “Animals” by Rodrigo de Medeiros from Brazil. The first was the film “Revival” by Ata Moabi from Iran.

For Kazan residents and film lovers, the start of the Film Festival “Altyn minbar” was marked by the opening film “In the Arms of a Tree”, which was shown at three venues of the city. And for the audience the start of the film project was launched by the song “Tatarstan” performed by Elmira Kalimullina and the Choir of the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The XX Kazan International Festival “Altyn minbar” will be held from September 6 to 11, 2024. The motto of the festival: “Through the Dialogue of Cultures - to the Culture of Dialogue” calls the whole world in the language of cinema to friendship and cooperation of representatives of all nationalities and religions.

We remind that the festival “Altyn minbar” was included in the list of film projects supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The Kazan International Film Festival is held with the support of Rustam Minnikhanov, Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Ministry of Culture of Russia, and in partnership with the Strategic Vision Group “Russia-Islamic World”.