Short Documentary Films at Kazan Muslim Film Festival Tell the Story of Strong-Minded People

A press-conference with the directors of short documentary films participating in the competition programme of the 14^th Kazan Muslim Film Festival was held in the press-centre yesterday. Haisam Abdelhamed (Egypt) and Grzegorz Paprzycki from (Poland) attended the events and shared insights on their works.

Hassan Abdel Hamid presented the film My Name is Nour about a child with a Down syndrome: 'Nour is a quite strong and cheerful girl. In spite of her illness, she is a winner of many sport competitions. The only difficulty during filming was attracting attention of girls, because children are very active and energetic. My film is dedicated not only to children with special needs or illnesses. I wanted to say that everyone is able to make great accomplishments’, he said. The director added that he continues his friendship with Nour and her parents.

The film I Exist by a Polish director Grzegorz Paprzycki tells the story of a handicapped man, the captain of a Rugby team, representing his thoughts about life, faith, religion and relations with his wife: 'Initially, I wanted to make a film about sport, but after meeting the main character, I have realized that I wanted to tell more about him, because this person is not just an athlete. He thinks much deeper, he likes to defend his point of view and face challenges,' said the Director.

The guests of the festival admired the hospitality of Tatarstan, friendliness and smiles of people that they met here: 'This is my first time, when I participate in a Russian film festival. I am overwhelmed with feelings caused by local architecture, people and nature. I am sure I will re-isit Kazan in the future’, said Paprzycki.

Photo report from the event is available here