On September 9, the closing ceremony of the 21st International Film Festival "Altyn Minbar" was held in Kazan in the new building of the Kamal Theater. The festival became a significant event, reminding not only Russian but also foreign audiences of the feat of their ancestors. This year, the opening film was Alexander Dalmatov's "In May, 1944". In the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of Victory, the choice of a story about the lives of ordinary people resisting fascism is symbolic for the start of "Altyn Minbar". No less significant on the eve of Kazan acquiring the status of the cultural capital of the Islamic world was the presentation of a special film award of the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia - Islamic World" (Group) for the dialogue of cultures.
Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the Republic Marat Akhmetov recalled the historical role of Tatarstan as a bridge between the East and the West in his welcoming speech: “Our festival is not only a demonstration of achievements, it is a case when, traditionally, over several years we become closer and kinder to each other.”
"In the current difficult situation in the world, Altyn Minbar is acquiring special significance as a platform for honest and open dialogue," the deputy chairman emphasized the importance of the festival in modern geopolitical conditions. Akhmetov also announced the winner of a special prize from Rais Tatarstan, Chairman of the Rustam Minnikhanov Group "For Humanism in Cinematography" - it was the Indian film "The Puppet’s Tale".
The program was opened by the folk instrument orchestra "Kazan Nury". By decision of the organizing committee, the closing ceremony this year was held without a red carpet. In addition, artists were not invited to the "Altyn Minbar" in Kazan for the secular part, since the emphasis was placed on the content. This was previously reported by the Minister of Culture of Tatarstan Irada Ayupova, noting the artistic strength of the films and the representativeness of the jury. This year, it was headed by the Indian sound engineer Resul Pookutty is an Oscar winner. As the filmmaker himself said, despite numerous offers from Hollywood, he chooses to stay with his homeland.
The prize "For the Dialogue of Cultures in the Islamic World" was presented by assistant to the Rais of Tatarstan, Deputy Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World” Marat Gatin. The group has been a partner of the Altyn Minbar Film Festival since 2017 and traditionally awards the prize for the best film shot in the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
This year, the prize for dialogue of cultures in the Islamic world was awarded to two films: the Iranian film “For Rana” and “Magtymguly Pyragy” (a joint production of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). The first is a touching story of a married couple trying to get a heart transplant for their daughter; the second tells the story of a historical figure, the great Turkmen poet and thinker.
In addition to the film "In May, 1944", the non-competition program of the Group included "The Memory of the Mango Tree" (Senegal), "Harmony" (Indonesia), "Hindi Film" (UAE), "Wisdom of Whale" (Türkiye), " Il Signore" (Saudi Arabia), "Dance with Mom" (Kyrgyzstan), "Beyond the Mast" (Bangladesh). In total, 845 applications from 67 countries were submitted to the festival's competition program, which testifies to the growing international authority of "Altyn Minbar".
The winner of the Grand Prix of the film festival was the film from Montenegro "The Tower of Strength" by director Nikola Vukcevic - a story about a Christian orphan in Yugoslavia during World War II who finds refuge in the home of a Muslim. In wartime, such circumstances became a matter of life and death, putting the owner of the house before a difficult choice.
Iranian filmmaker Ebrahim Amini was named best director for the film "K-Poper", and the highest recognition of screenwriting skills was received by Farkhat Sharipov for his work on the Kazakh film "Evacuation". Iranian "Stateless " and "The Lost Season" were named the best short and documentary films, respectively. The main prize in the animation category in the main program "Altyn Minbar" was received by the Russian film "Out There".
The Special Jury Mention prize was presented to director Layla Triqui from Morocco for the film "Carved by the Wind" by the Deputy Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Mufti Rushan Abbyasov. He delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the President of the festival, Chief Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin. Rushan hazrat, on behalf of the Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, congratulated the winners and thanked the participants for their contribution to national and world cinema.
Mufti Abbyasov recalled that at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to return universal spiritual and cultural values to the international agenda. In this regard, “Altyn Minbar” is not just a cinematic event, but also an important platform where the language of art strengthens the values of mutual understanding and dialogue that are in demand in the modern world.
The jury assessed Tatarstan's achievements in this cultural interaction as follows: the full-length "Mothers and Children" and the documentary "Nixies", as well as the short "The Man Pasts but The Song Endures" became the best national films, and "Tugan Batyr" was the best film for children. The special prize of the World Congress of Tatars went to the Russian film "Home". People's Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Ravil Sharafeev was awarded the prize for his contribution to the development of Tatarstan cinema.
The film "Сompatriots" was included in the non-competition program "War and The World: New Territories". These are the stories of mobilized Tatarstan citizens called up for a special military operation in Ukraine. Director Ravil Mukmenov focused on human stories, showing how war changes the lives of people and their loved ones.
Special nominations from the jury of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) were awarded to "In May,1944" and "K-Poper". The Guild of Film Critics and Film Scholars of the Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation gave its sympathies to the Tatarstan film "The Black Forest" and the Uzbek film "Moments of Eternity", and the audience was deeply impressed by the film "Adventurers". The film "Drawn by Snow" tells about the ancient tradition of the Mordvin-Karatay people; this film received a Special Prize for Faith in the Art of Cinema named after the founder of the Kazan Film Festival Zufar Bukharaev.
“Altyn Minbar” was first held in the year of Kazan's millennium, bringing together dozens of films from different countries. Since then, it has annually turned the capital of Tatarstan into a center of dialogue of cultures. The motto "Through the dialogue of cultures - to the culture of dialogue" fully reflects the nature and direction of the festival. Once again, cinema has become the language of mutual understanding, in which stories told by directors from dozens of countries help to destroy stereotypes, affirm the values of humanism, peace and religious tolerance.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: KIFF"Altyn Minbar"