The 6th British Film Festival is kicking off!

British Council and the British Embassy in Baku are launching the sixth edition of the British Film Festival online. In cooperation with the British Embassy and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the British Council is launching the sixth edition of the annual British Film Festival.

This year, the festival will be held online between 22 January and 22 February 2021, on a commissioned online platform by the CoolConnections art association. We are bringing the most exciting, thought-provoking and critically-acclaimed new films from the UK to Azerbaijan. The 2021 edition of the British Film Festival puts the extraordinary cinematic stories of remarkable women into spotlight, promoting the world where everyone can thrive as equal and complete members of all communities.

The British Film Festival is a central pillar of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion through film. All films will be screened in English, with the subtitles in Azerbaijani. You can watch the British Film Festival trailer here:

The films can be watched by following the registration links on our website at http://bit.ly/britishfilmfestival or at a dedicated URL: www.britishfilmfest.az

The online registration for the British Film Festival will be available from 22 January 2021. Every film will be available to watch at any time until 22 February 2021, but has to be completed within 48 hours once started.

This year, we will screen 16 Inspiring films: Beast (BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film – nominee), For Sama (BAFTA Award for Best Documentary – winner), Swimming with Men, Tucked, Make Up, Ray & Liz, Perfect 10, Pink Wall, as well as seven award-winning BAFTA Best British Short Film nominees. Flagship film for this year’s festival, For Sama, is an award-winning journey into the female experience of war.

Between 22 January and 22 February, the British Council, together with the Ministry of Culture, will also organise a series of live arts talks on Facebook and YouTube for Azerbaijani cinema practitioners and professionals. The series will feature some of the leading Azerbaijani women film directors, producers, and specialists.

As part of our long-standing work with the Public Union for Social Assistance to people with hearing and speech impairments (founded by Jamila Abdulova), we will also screen Nargiz, an Azerbaijani short film in sign language (with English and Azerbaijani subtitles). The film tells the story of a young girl named Nargiz and her experiences with her parents, unemployment and a difficult family situation.

Mr. Summer Xia, country director at the British Council in Azerbaijan, says: I am excited that we are moving our British Film Festival online this year. Not only will this allow people to watch these brilliant films from the comfort of their home and stay safe, this will enable us to make the festival more accessible and reach more people across the whole country. We are also proud to dedicate this year’s festival to women, recognising and appreciating the important role they play in society.