The Azerbaijani film ‘Pomegranate Garden’ is taking home
two awards
from the XIII International Film Festival ‘Eurasia’ held in Astana, Kazakhstan. The film won the Special Jury Prize, and the actor Gurban Ismayilov was given the award for ‘Best Male Role.’
Directed by Ilgar Najaf, ‘Pomegranate Garden’ tells the
story
of an old man who lives with his daughter-in-law and grandson in a decrepit house surrounded by a pomegranate garden. Their quiet lives are disturbed by the sudden return of the old man’s son, bringing with him bitter memories and new challenges.
According
to producer Ali Isa Jabbarov, the film shows the dark side of traditional Azerbaijani family relationships. ‘The biggest problem in Azerbaijani cinema is that it doesn’t reflect real life, [Azerbaijani filmmakers] don’t know how to convey it on the screen,’ said Jabbarov. ‘Pomegranate Garden’ has precisely that quality – it’s totally candid.’
Co-produced by
Azerbaijanfilm
and
Buta Film
, ‘Pomegranate Garden’ was released in 2016. The screenplay was written by Asif Rustamov, Ilgar Najaf and Roelof Jan Minneboo (Netherlands). The main roles in the film were performed by Gurban Ismailov, Ilaha Hasanova, Samimi Farhad, Hasan Aghayev and others. The director of photography was Ayhan Salar (Germany), the production designer was Rafig Nasirov, and Firuddin Allahverdi composed the score.
