Baku int'l tourism film festival due in November
By Nigar Orujova
The first Baku International Tourism Film Festival (BITFF) will be held in Azerbaijan in November, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
The non-profit cultural event to be held on November 20-25 and organized by the ministry, aims to promote films about tourism and to stimulate the development of domestic and international tourism, as well as to encourage the movies' authors.
The festival will also draw the attention of the world community to Azerbaijan's tourism potential. The festival is expected to help the films gain a wider international audience.
The event also seeks to emphasize the tourism potential of Azerbaijan as one of the international centers of the historical and cultural heritage.
Winners will be determined in seven categories, including cultural tourism, nature tourism and ecotourism, commercial tourism, sports tourism, marine tourism, as well as tours and expeditions. There is no restriction on the film length.
The committee in charge of selection has included 250 films from 41 countries.
The holders of the top three places in each category will be conferred awards and money rewards. The best film of the festival will be awarded with the Grand Prix and a money award of 4,000 euros.
Movies will be evaluated by an international jury consisting of cinematographers as well as tourism experts.
Along with contests and non-competition screening, the festival program will include workshops, discussions and experience exchange among the movie authors, tourism experts and media representatives.
It is also planned to hold the festival not only in cinema, but also in the open air. The festival is expected to become an annual event.
The festival is sponsored by Garant Holding, Nar Mobile and JW Marriott Absheron.