Traditionally, the first week of September is marked for the residents of Kazan and guests of the Tatarstan capital by the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival. This year is no exception. For the first time, the opening ceremony was held at the Kazan City Hall, and was preceded by a red carpet ceremony and introduction of guests and jury members.
The ceremony was hosted by Tatiana Abramova, a Russian theatre and cinema actress, TV presenter and singer, and Ildar Kiyamov, host of the Manzara program on TNV channel. Elmira Kalimullina and Ilgiz Shaikhraziev performed musical compositions for the guests of the festival.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Milli Shura National Council, the prestige of the Kazan Film Festival is growing every year, which is nothing short of encouraging. Special credit is given to the guests who have gathered together in the capital of Tatarstan from different parts of the world. ‘Today, the prestige of our city and republic is represented not only at the level of Russia, but also internationally. Those who are interested in our history remember perfectly that last year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the TASSR. It was a special holiday. We once again immersed ourselves into our history and got convinced that the people living here had always been educated and hospitable’, Shaikhraziev stressed.
Addressing the guests of the film festival, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that when it came to art and culture, dialogue transcended all relations. ‘Culture unites us and creates a single layer of respect, faith and trust’, Vasil Shaikhraziev concluded. He also, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and on his own behalf, wished all those present good health.
At the end of his welcoming speech, Shaikhraziev handed Tatar national hats – tubeteikas and kalfaks – to the members of the festival jury.
Rushan Abbyasov, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation, also made a speech at the opening ceremony of the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival-2021. He greeted the audience on behalf of Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims, President of the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival. ‘For many years now Kazan has become the capital of the Islamic world cinema and hosted festival participants. Muslims look forward to and welcome this festival, showing genuine interest in the work of cinematographers, whose films reveal the beauty of the Islamic world and promote dialogue between cultures. The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus infection has tested patience, responsibility, courage and kindness of people. Many restrictions, hardships, sorrows and loss of beloved ones have entered our lives. At the same time, it is the circumstances of the pandemic that remind us how important it is for the spiritual world of man to constantly comprehend the mercy and wisdom of the Creator, His exhortations and the meaning of our own existence’, the welcoming speech says.
Without any doubts, cinema art based on the humanistic foundation motivates people to kindness, mercy, honesty, justice, and purity of thought and deed, Abbyasov believes. ‘Moral sense is what unites people of different cultures, nations and religions, helping them to see each other not as strangers, but as creatures of the One God. It was with this intention, bringing hearts closer and asserting moral postulates through the art of cinema, that our film festival was established’, Rushan Abbyasov reminded, wishing the festival successful work, and to its participants – peace, prosperity, physical and mental health, creative achievements and inexhaustible inspiration!
The audience of the opening ceremony was then presented with the main nominations of the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival, as well as its signature statuettes. There were also out-of-competition, parallel programs, including the Russia – Islamic World section, with the winner receiving the prize of behalf of the Strategic Vision Group ‘Russia – Islamic World’. This program is aimed to present the diversity of cultures of the countries belonging to the Group. This year, the unifying theme in all the films is the conflict of traditional values and contemporary trends. For instance, films ‘Pesn Gor’ (‘Song of the Mountains’), set on the southern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and ‘Shkura’ (‘Skin’), shot in the Turkic language in Iran, are both characterized by fairy-tale motifs. Both are based on folklore stories from time immemorial, reflecting ancient customs and beliefs.
Films ‘Ulbolsyn’ (Kazakhstan) and ‘2000 Songs of Farida’ (Uzbekistan) use different historical and temporal material to raise the problem of transforming the values of the traditional Islamic family. The ‘Girl Who Milked Cows’ (Nigeria) and ‘Last Night Dogs Didn’t Sleep’ (Afghanistan) present the clash of the free-spirit individual with the repressive norms imposed by extremists. Ethical conflicts – exploring stereotypes of masculinity and reflecting on women’s rights – are at the heart of the subjects of several films at once. They are ‘Weapon’ (Turkey), ‘Drowning’ (Iran), ‘Open Door’ (Albania) and ‘Lake’ (Kirgizia).
Then Elchin Musaoglu, theater and cinema director, producer, screenwriter, Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan, was invited to the stage. He instantly immersed the audience into memories of how he appeared in the field of cinematography. In his turn, Grigory Nakhapetov, director of the opening film ‘Days and Ages of Chingiz Aitmatov’, stressed that he was honored to open the Kazan Muslim Film Festival with his film. ‘This is not accidental, because mother of Chingiz Aitmatov has Tatar roots, which makes him our Tatar writer as well. In my work I tried to show Chingiz Aitmatov not as a memorial man, but as a living, real person, and the embodiment of high moral qualities. I do hope that our youth will not only read and love, but also appreciate the work of Chingiz Aitmatov’.
After the presentation of teasers for the films in competition, Vidadi Gasanov, an Azerbaijani actor, appeared on the stage. The festival guest was playing the guitar and struck the audience with his singing. ‘Each time I come here, I notice that Kazan changes and becomes more beautiful. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everybody on Film Sabantuy and wish good luck to all the participants. I would like to express my special gratitude to the organizational team who are working in order to make the festival a success’, Gasanov concluded. In her turn, the presenter of the opening ceremony, Tatiana Abramova, gave the audience a brilliant composition ‘Letter’.