The closing and awards ceremony of the 5th SALAM International Children's and Youth Film Festival has been held at the Nizami Cinema Center. The four-day festival was a true celebration of cinema, creativity and communication. This year, the festival brought together around 440 children and teenagers, representatives of the film industry, cultural figures, international guests and foreign delegations.
Participants enjoyed a packed programme featuring screenings of contemporary films from different countries, meetings with directors and actors, creative discussions, master classes and the practical CINEMARATHON programme. For many young participants, the festival was not only an opportunity to watch films but also a chance to experience what it is like to work behind the screen. Final day: From "Akinak" to films created by young filmmakers The final day of the festival opened with a competition screening of "Akinak", an Azerbaijani feature film directed by Elkhan Jafarov.
The film was produced by Narimanfilm with the support of the Azerbaijan Republic Cinema Agency (ARKA). Following the screening, the actors who played the leading roles met with young viewers. The participants asked questions about the making of the film, character development, the filming process and the actors'personal experiences.
The meeting was particularly engaging, with the discussion going far beyond a conventional question-and-answer session. The opportunity to speak directly with the film's cast became one of the highlights of the festival's final day. Another programme highlight was the screening of "Between Two Stones", a short film by Ilkin Zafarli, a director and mentor of the festival.
After the screening, the director spoke to the audience about the film's artistic concept and shared insights into the process of making short films. Such meetings are an important part of SALAM. Here, a film does not end with its final frame — it becomes the starting point for discussion and analysis, as viewers ask questions, engage with the filmmakers and explore the message conveyed by the work.
CINEMARATHON traditionally holds a special place in the festival programme. Over several days, participants worked in teams and independently went through almost the entire filmmaking process — from developing an idea and writing a script to filming, editing and preparing their finished projects for screening. On the final day, the young filmmakers completed their projects together with professional editors from Narimanfilm and members of the SALAM team.
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