Three Azerbaijani queer films selected for Oslo/Fusion Festival

Three films from Azerbaijan will be screened at the Oslo/Fusion Film Festival, Norway’s only film festival dedicated to LGBTQIA2S+ and QTIBIPOC storytelling. 

The festival, founded in 1990 and now marking its 35th edition, has long been a platform for narratives that challenge stereotypes and broaden understandings of identity, sexuality, and human rights.

This year, Azerbaijani filmmakers will present three works that capture the precariousness of queer life in Baku with rare intimacy and courage.

CityScape Dreams (2024), directed by Nargiz Mammadli (13 min, Azerbaijani/English/Russian with English subtitles) follows two queer women navigating the city’s streets and silences, where invisible rules dictate what can and cannot be spoken.

Home Within (2024), directed by Mehriban Karimova (6 min, Azerbaijani with English subtitles), portrays Carmen, a young trans woman in search of safety and belonging, reflecting the urgent issue of housing insecurity faced by the queer community.

Leave the Room Make a Mistake (2024), directed by Vusala Hajiyeva (5 min, English with subtitles), examines the anxiety of trans existence in public spaces, highlighting how avoidance and hypervigilance shape everyday survival.

Each film, distinct in form yet united by theme, portrays resilience against the background of social hostility and legislative absence. For Azerbaijan’s queer filmmakers, participation in Oslo/Fusion is more than representation—it is an act of visibility on the global stage, a rare chance to speak in their own voice and find audiences beyond borders.

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