VII SevilFest announced winners

Eight days of documentary cinema, drag art, and open conversations about masculinity

The seventh edition of SevilFest, the Sevil International Women's Documentary Film Festival held in Baku, has wrapped up. Over the course of eight days, the festival screened dozens of local and international documentaries, held masterclasses, hosted discussions with directors, and opened up conversations on subjects rarely addressed in public — including gender expression, masculinity, and queer self-expression. One of the festival's most notable segments was "Dra(q)matic," a program dedicated to drag art and performative self-expression.

Days 1 and 2: Starting with local documentary cinema

The festival opened with local short documentaries. Discussions with guests followed the screenings. At midday, a masterclass on the art of editing was held with Katya Dringenberg. The program continued with the first film from Heddy Honigmann's filmography, and the "beloved map" referenced in the film — belonging to Monique Lesterhuis — was commemorated together with the audience.

Day 3: From everyday life to the refugee experience

The day began with Aysel Sadıqova's masterclass, "Yaylıq" ("Headscarf"). Following the screening of "Refugee Father," director Isa Sauer met with the audience. After "The Menopause Mystery" screened, an interactive event called "Menopause Salon" was held. The day also featured screenings of "Contractions," "Totally Different, Totally the Same," "Good Husband, Dear Son," and "Fox Under the Pink Moon" — the discussion following the last of these welcomed Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei as a festival guest.

Day 4: From local filmmakers to international screenings

The day opened with "Cohabitation? No Way!" This was followed by a local short documentary, Suad Qara's "Requiem for the Caspian," after which the director spoke with the audience about the making of the film. The day's closing screening, "Breaking Through the Rocks," drew more than 100 viewers; afterward, directors Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki held a warm and engaging discussion with the audience alongside Sara Shahverdi, the film's protagonist.

Day 5: A Heddy Honigmann retrospective and AniDok night

The day featured screenings of "Mailin," the local short documentary "Cold World: From 1990 to Today," and, from the Heddy Honigmann retrospective, "The Underground Orchestra" and "Memory." In the evening, an AniDok night was held at Beer & Friends, presenting "Hairy Legs," "Because Today Is Saturday," "Paradaiz," "Whose Forests Are These?," "Because I'm a Girl," "Collective Memory," and "Tailless Cat" — a mix of animated and documentary shorts. A discussion with the directors of "Because I'm a Girl" followed the screening.

Day 6: Masterclass from Oscar nominees

The day opened with international short documentaries. Oscar-nominated directors Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki then led a masterclass titled "From a Persian-Speaking Village to the Oscars," sharing insights into the unseen side of documentary filmmaking. In the evening, "Whispers in May" was screened. At the same time, the festival hosted, in partnership with KYNO, a "Speed Dating for Cinephiles" event and a reading night dedicated to Nilgün Marmara.

Day 7: Theater and a panel on masculinity

The festival's second-to-last day opened with a staged reading and interactive theater performance titled "'Sevil' Has Had Her Say. Now It's Our Turn." The day continued with the "Masculinities" program: following screenings of "Kekre" (Turkey), "Land of Men" (Georgia), and "The Cut" (Canada), a panel discussion on masculinity was held.

The program notes explained that each of the three films approaches the concept of masculinity from a different angle. "The Cut," from Canada, interrogates the perceptions built around reproductive choice, fatherhood, and the male body. "Kekre," from Turkey, examines how masculinity is constructed and recognized through the experiences of men who step outside society's accepted gender frameworks. "Land of Men," from Georgia, shows how masculinity can become not only an individual identity but also a matter of property, inheritance, and power relations. The organizers noted that in the Azerbaijani context, too, masculinity comes with certain expectations — how a man should behave, what he should feel, which profession he should choose — and that the panel's aim was to discuss these questions against the backdrop of local reality.

Day 8: The festival's finale

The final day opened with the film "Raeda," followed by "The Forgotten," from the Heddy Honigmann retrospective. The festival closed with "Tea Dreams." The conversation with director Kristina Mikhailova after the screening was remembered by participants as one of the festival's most cherished moments.

Winners announced

At the close of the festival, the SevilFest jury announced its award winners.

Best Local Short Documentary went to Suad Qara's "Requiem for the Caspian."

Best International Short Documentary went to Marianna Corcia Marchesini's "Totally Different, Totally the Same."

Best International Short AniDok Film went to Matea Radić's "Paradaïz."

The Jury's Special Prize was shared between two films: "Because Today Is Saturday" by Alice Aisha Guimarães and "Grandma: Final Version" by Mahammad Aliyev.

Source: SevilFest's official Instagram page.

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