The contestants of the XVIII KIMFF became known
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The contestants of the XVIII KIMFF became known

5 July 2022

On July 1 the program of the XVIII Kazan International Muslim Film Festival was published. According to the regulations, the competition program consists of 10 films per each nomination – a competition of full-length and short-length feature films, full-length and short-length documentaries, and national competition. In total, this year 625 applications from 44 countries of the world were registered.

The Chairman of the Selection Committee Nina Kochelyaeva informed that this year the festival has an extensive geography. In the competition program of full-length feature films from Turkey, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Russia, Egypt and Sri-Lanka are presented, also a couple of films made in co-production – Lebanon-Germany and the Republic of Tatarstan-Kazakhstan. She also introduced the nomination “Full-length feature film”:

  • Lebanese-German film “The Anger” is presented by the Russian-Lebanese director Maria Ivanova and devoted to the terrorism problem, which is considered from an unusual angle, that is presence of European terrorism in Lebanon and the fight against it.

  • “Commitment Hasan” is made by one of the famous Turkish directors Semih Kaplanoglu. It tells about a farmer, who should pay off his debts and fulfill his obligations before performing the Haj. The story develops around Hasan’s relationship with his brother, with whom he was in a quarrel.

  •  Indian director’s Natesh Hegde’s film “Pedro” immerses us in the story of a rural electrician, who unintentionally kills a sacred animal – a cow, and this circumstance makes him an outcast not only in the community, but also in the family.

  • Iranian film “Silent glory” by Nahid Hassanzadeh presents a subtle study of the psychology of a man, who is closely connected with the spiritual life and traditions of Islam.

  • The Kazakh film “Mukagali” by Bolat Kalymbetov tells about a difficult period for the Kazakh intelligentsia, which took place during the years of stagnation, when Kazakhstan was still part of the Soviet Union.

  • Shabnam Ferdowsi’s debut “Song of the Soul” (Bangladesh) tells the story of a successful rock musician who is invited to take part in a TV program devoted to the national musical traditions of Bangladesh. During this thrilling road movie radical changes take place in the soul of the main character.

  • The competition also presents the world premiere of the film by Russian director Alexander Galibin “The Adventures of the Little Bahi”, which fascinatingly and vividly tells the story of a boy from a faraway Dagestan aul (village).

  • Egyptian film “Talaat Harb Square”, 2 introduces to us a half-century panorama of Egyptian history, focused on a single house and a flat, located on this street.

  • “The Newspaper” film by two directors from Sri-Lanka Sarat Kotalawal and Kumar Thirimadur tells a poignant story of a family, who was mistakenly accused of terrorism and becomes an outcast in their village. The only way to disproof this opinion is to go to the capital of Sri-Lanka, find the newspaper, in which this note was published and ask to give a denial of statement. For this, the characters go through difficulties and finally achieve their aim.

  • A debut co-production experience of Tatarstan and Kazakhstan cinematographers which is presented in the competition by “Tarlan” film, telling about the relationships of ethnic and cultural traditions of the two countries, should also be mentioned.

All competition films present a deep connection with ethnic, national, cultural and religious traditions that are accepted on the territory of different countries. One can observe changes and transformation of the main characters, who enter into interaction with accepted ethnic and moral norms, which in turn influence the future of each character.

The XVII Kazan International Muslim Festival will be held from September 7 to 11 with the support of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and in partnership with the Strategic vision group “Russia – Islamic world”.