The second day of the 5th SALAM International Youth Film Festival was held at Nizami Cinema Center in Baku. The programme gave young participants an opportunity not only to watch films but also to create their own short movies and discuss one of the most pressing issues of adolescence — bullying. The festival day opened with a screening of the Chinese film "The Answer to Forever", directed by Zheng Yunchang.
The story left a strong impression on the young audience. After the final credits, the discussion continued in the cinema hall, with participants sharing their impressions and views on the characters' actions. Following the screening, participants of CINEMARATHON began filming their own short movies.
This year's theme is "A Stranger Among Your Own, One of Your Own Among Strangers." The teams worked at different locations. Some filmed at Nizami Cinema Center, while others headed to Vapiano and the streets of Baku. For several hours, cameras, scripts, rehearsals and the search for the right shot turned the festival into a real film laboratory.
For the CINEMARATHON participants, the project is more than a creative assignment. They develop their own stories, distribute roles, operate cameras and learn how to turn their ideas into complete screen productions. One of the most powerful moments of the second day was a meeting with actor, director, theatre educator and producer Leonid Klets.
The event was organized with the cultural support of Nine Senses Art Center. Klets has worked for many years on social and theatre projects addressing teenagers and bullying. He is one of the authors of the "I'm Not a Scarecrow!" project and a producer and co-writer of the short film Igor-Chair.
Before the meeting, participants watched the social drama Igor-Chair, directed by Konstantin Soldatov. The film centres on what initially appears to be an innocent joke directed at a classmate but gradually develops into serious bullying with significant consequences. Following the screening, the discussion went far beyond a traditional film review.
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