The 16th Baku International Film Festival has solemnly opened at Nizami Cinema Center, Azernews reports.
The festival is organized by the Young Filmmakers Center with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Azerbaijan Film Agency.
This year, the festival is held within the framework of the international film program Baku Cinema Breeze 2025, which is part of the OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week – 2025.
The OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week – 2025 runs from December 5 to 12 with the organizational support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, and the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry.
The opening ceremony was attended by state and public figures, representatives of culture and creative youth, as well as foreign guests.
In their remarks, Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusufova Saadat Yusifova, director of the Baku International Film Festival Fehruz Shamiyev, jury members, and international guests stressed the importance of the festival, which annually brings together filmmakers and representatives from different countries, inspires contemporary authors, and creates opportunities for creative development, showcasing works, and exchanging experiences.
Over five days, 78 films from 34 countries will be screened at the Nizami Cinema Center. Screenings are open to all. Since last year, the festival has included a feature film competition and offers four competitive programs, each evaluated by a separate jury.
The international program of debut feature films includes 10 works, to be judged by renowned film critic and screenwriter Nadir Badalov (Azerbaijan), director and screenwriter Niki Karimi (Iran), European Film Academy Award winner for Best Producer Zeynep Atakan (Turkiye), and film expert Igor Sukman (Belarus).
The national competition presents 16 short fiction and documentary films, as well as 5 student works. Among these 21 entries, the best will be determined by a jury consisting of director and producer Fariz Ahmedov, winner of awards at festivals in Serbia, Russia, and Poland; Iranian director and producer Reza Siami, who promotes Azerbaijani films abroad; and film critics Farida Jalilova and Sevda Sultanova, known for their publications in the fields of art, cinema, and television.
The international short film jury will be chaired by Faruk Güven, head of the film department of Turkish broadcaster TRT and producer; director Rufat Asadov, whose documentaries have received international awards; and New Zealand critic Carmen Gray.
The jury of the Asian Talents competition will include producer Ali-Sattar Guliyev, laureate of Cannes, Tampere, Kazan, Tashkent, and Dushanbe festivals; Roman Dorofeev (Russia), program director of the international film festival East–West. Classics and Avant-garde; and international award-winning director and cinematographer Daniel Guliyev.
The festival’s main prize is the Golden Pomegranate (Qızıl Nar). In addition, winners in several categories will receive special awards and diplomas.
Beyond the competition program, audiences will enjoy non-competitive screenings. For example, the Our Language program features films shot in Azerbaijani by compatriots living abroad. Cooperation with the British Council allows the festival to annually organize special screenings of films nominated for the BAFTA Awards.
The closing ceremony and awards presentation will take place on December 9 at 19:00 at the Nizami Cinema Center.
The festival is supported by: the Azerbaijan Filmmakers Union, Nizami Cinema Center, British Council, Şahdağfilm Studio, Azerbaijan National Assembly of Youth Organizations, Cinelab, DOST TV, and the Yunus Emre Institute.
Media support is provided by Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.
