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Laman Ismayilova

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"In the era of social networks, making films has become very difficult," said renowned Iranian actress and director Niki Karimi, who arrived in Baku to participate in the 16th Baku International Film Festival, organized by the Young Filmmakers Center with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Azerbaijan Film Agency, Azernews reports.

This year, the festival is held within the framework of the international cinema program Baku Cinema Breeze 2025, which is part of the OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week – 2025.

Speaking about contemporary challenges in cinema, she shared her experience with young directors:

"Cinema is a multi-layered sphere. For example, in Hollywood, a huge number of films are produced every year, but one should think about how many of them actually succeed. We live in an era when filmmaking has become accessible to everyone. Today, anyone can shoot something on a mobile phone and present it as a short film. On the one hand, the process has become so simple, but on the other hand, cinema continues to retain its complexity. One example of such a contradiction is social networks. I believe that with their emergence, making films has become more difficult. In the past, a person could calmly write and shoot whatever they wanted. Today, the greatest difficulty for young people is that it is very hard to concentrate on their work. The feelings and thoughts of a creative person must be original, but now it is becoming increasingly difficult to preserve emotional originality. I think young directors should treat this issue with particular sensitivity."

It should be noted that Niki Karimi joined the international jury of the festival.

Niki Karimi (born November 10, 1971, Tehran) is one of the most famous actresses, screenwriters, and female directors of contemporary Iranian cinema. She began her career in the late 1980s and gained worldwide recognition after the film Sara (1993), for which she received prestigious awards, including the Best Actress prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Since the early 2000s, she has been actively working as a director. Among her notable works are One Night (2005), Always (2014), and Veranda (2018). Her films have repeatedly participated in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, and other festivals. Karimi is also engaged in producing, photography, and social projects, paying special attention to women’s and youth rights in art. She is considered one of the most influential Iranian women in the global film industry.

Media partners of the event Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.