Russia-Islamic World Group to Award 300,000 Rubles to one of the Participants of the Kazan Film Festival

Russia - Islamic World Strategic Vision Group continues its partnership with the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival, which 16^th edition will be held in a closed format. A Special Prize for the Dialogue of Cultures in the Islamic World established by the group with a monetary reward of 300,000 rubles will be awarded to one of the 10 films of the Russia - Islamic World special program of the festival. Along with the competition program, this parallel program of the festival was developed by the Selection Committee under the supervision of Sergei Anashkin, a Russian film critic, basing on the entries received in 2020.

‘Russia - Islamic World program is constituted by films produced in the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’, comments Sergey Anashkin. ‘The religious aspect of the selection was not decisive. The characters of the films are people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds. Most films were made in co-production with European or Asian partners. For the selection of this program, it was decided to abandon thematic and stylistic uniformity to present the diversity of the cinematography of the OIC countries. This is why it includes not only social dramas from Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, but also comedies from Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. Iranian and French-Algerian films tend to be parables. The biographical ‘legend’ from Bangladesh takes place during the Bengali Middle Ages. The Afghan drama focuses on the period of the Soviet presence in Kabul. The film from Burkina Faso combines adventure and psychological drama. Overall, the films of the Russia – Islamic World program share the same motif of the dialogue of cultures.

Russia - Islamic World Strategic Vision Group was established in 2006 under the leadership of Yevgeny Primakov and Mintimer Shaymiev, when the Russian Federation joined the OIC in an observer status. The group is chaired by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. The group has been a partner of the Kazan Film Festival since 2017.

Since 2005 Kazan Muslim Film Festival is one of the largest film forums in Russia held annually in the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The festival focuses on Russian and international films promoting the ideas of peacebuilding, intercultural dialogue, and tolerance regardless of their religious affiliations. The concept of the festival is reflected through its official motto ‘Through the dialogue of cultures to the culture of dialogue’

The festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Council of Muftis of the Russian Federation, the Executive Committee of Kazan, Tatarkino State Budgetary Institution of Culture with the participation of the regional branch of the Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation and with the partnership of Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group. The festival is held under the support of Rustam Minnikhanov the President of the Republic of Tatarstan.