“Baku Oscar-2” film festival coming soon
The second “Baku Oscar-2” short films festival will be organized by the Youth Fund under the President of Azerbaijan. The festival aims to discover the potential and realize the ideas of young talented filmmakers, and stimulate their creativity.
The three-day festival will feature more than 10 films. Young directors can address such issues as religion, politics, etc. The maximum duration should not exceed 15 minutes.
In addition, prizes will be awarded in such categories as "Best actress" "Best actor", etc.
The award ceremony will be held in September. The applications should be sent tobakioskari@gmail.com till August 31. Hurry up to join the festival! The first edition of the festival was held in 2015. About 30 short films were submitted to the festival.
The history of film production in Azerbaijan goes back to 1898, when French Lumière brothers, the first filmmakers in history brought their invention in Baku.
French photographer and cameraman Alexandre Michon, who lived in Baku more than 25 years, is regarded as one of the founders of the Azerbaijani film industry.
During his time in Azerbaijan between 1879 and 1905, Michon opened a photo studio and established a photography club in Baku, spending his time photographing landscapes, oil extraction and refining processes, oil well blowouts, and oil field fires.
"Fire on Bibi-Heybat" film shot by Michon in 1898 is considered to be one of the first films in the world cinema. The film was featured in Paris at the International Film Festival.
The first national film "In the realm of oil and millions" was shot in Azerbaijan in 1916, funded by local oilmen. The first Azerbaijani comedy "Arshin Mal Alan," based on the operetta of the great national composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, was also filmed that same year.
The first film studio in Azerbaijan was established in 1922, which was the forerunner to Azerbaijan’s current film production company – Azerbaijanfilm.
A state program on developing Azerbaijani cinema for the years 2008-2018 is currently aiding in the expansion of modern national cinema.