Baku International Film Festival (BIFF Azerbaijan)

Overview

The Baku International Film Festival is Azerbaijan's most important film festival. Founded in 2009 and held annually in September in Baku -- Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea capital, a city transformed by oil wealth into one of the region's most architecturally spectacular and culturally ambitious cities -- the festival presents international and Azerbaijani cinema alongside the country's growing investment in arts infrastructure.

Baku's dramatic juxtaposition of ancient walled city (the Icheri Sheher UNESCO World Heritage Site) and gleaming contemporary architecture (including the spectacular Flame Towers and the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid) creates a festival setting of striking visual contrasts. Azerbaijan's unique position at the crossroads of European, Turkish, Russian, and Persian cultural influences gives its cinema an unusual perspective.

The festival reflects Azerbaijan's cultural ambitions and its investment in establishing Baku as an international cultural destination alongside its economic significance.

Key Sections

• International Competition -- films competing for jury prizes
• Azerbaijani Film Program -- new Azerbaijani features and shorts
• South Caucasus Panorama -- films from Georgia and Armenia
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs

What Filmmakers Should Know

BIFF accepts open submissions. For Azerbaijani filmmakers, this is the most important domestic international platform. Baku's oil-funded cultural infrastructure creates well-resourced festival hospitality.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Best Azerbaijani Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

BIFF was founded in 2009 and has grown alongside Baku's rapid cultural development.

See Also

For South Caucasus cinema, see International Film Markets. For Tbilisi Film Festival, see Tbilisi International Film Festival.