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BANU
​​​​​​by Tahmina Rafaella

90min | Azerbaijan, Italy, France, Iran | 2022

Accused of being an unfit mother by her influential husband, Banu fights for the custody of her son amid the chaos of the final days of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. She has four days to find a single voice to speak on her behalf.
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Year of production 2022
Length 90'
Country Azerbaijan, Italy, France, Iran
Shooting Format Digital
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Dialogue Azerbaijani, Russian
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Director Tahmina Rafaella
Producer Katayoon Shahabi
Cinematographer Touraj Aslani 
Editor Mastaneh Mohajer​
Sound Design and Mix Ensieh Maleki
Production Noori Pictures​
Associate Producers Henry Hughes, Massih Hayati
Executive Producer Katayoon Shahabi
Writer Tahmina Rafaella
Sound Morteza Najafloo
Production Designer Sebuhi Atababayev
Production Manager Tarlan Babayev
Line Producer and Location Manager Tofig Musayev
Costume Designer Rufat Balakishiyev
Make-up Artist Adelia Farukhova
Visual Effects Sina Ghavidel
Cast Tahmina Rafaella, Melek Abbaszadeh, Zaur Shafiyev, Jafar Hasan, Kabira Hashimli, Emin Asgarov, Zemfira Abdulsamadova, Kamala Israfilova, Deniz Tajeddin, Hajar Agaeva

Website
Noori Pictures​

Festival selections
Venezia 79 - Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica 2022, Italy - World Premiere
Filmfest Hamburg 2022, Germany
Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2022
FEST - Belgrade International Film Festival 2023, Serbia
Luxembourg City Film Festival 2023
Aswan International Women Film Festival 2023, Egypt
​International Film Festival of Uruguay 2023
International Film Festival Gorinchem 2023, Netherlands
MOOOV Film Festival 2023, Belgium
Skip City International D-Cinema Festival 2023, Japan
Malaysia International Film Festival 2023
Ariano International Film Festival 2023, Italy - Best Feature Film Award
Seoul International Women’s Film Festival 2023, South Korea
Heartland Film Festival 2023, USA
Zsigmond Vilmos Film Festival 2023, Hungary
Festival Internacional de Cine de Fusagasugá 2023, Colombia - Best Film Award
​St. Louis International Film Festival 2023, USA
Bosphorus Film Festival 2023, Turkey
Sanfici - Santander Festival Internacional De Cine Independiente 2024, Colombia
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Athena Film Festival 2024, USA
One Country One Film - Apchat-Issoire International Festival 2024, France
Calgary European Film Festival 2024, Canada

Director's Statement
Being Azerbaijani means knowing someone who was personally affected by the First or Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, and it also means knowing someone who was affected by a bitter divorce in which the woman lost custody of her child to a more powerful and wealthier man.
I’m no exception to this phenomenon. Growing up in Baku, Azerbaijan, I struggled to fit in my society that was built on patriarchy and war, two elements that I believe go hand in hand. The aim of this film is not to take a political stance or to delve into the complex history of the decades old territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Instead, I want the audiences to question the connection between war and patriarchy through one woman’s experience of fighting for the custody of her child amidst the war in which thousands of women lose theirs.
In the end, it’s the future generations who lose; the cycle churns, oppressing even the boys it purports to cater to. It saddens me that to this day, there is not a single Azerbaijani independent feature film made by a female filmmaker.
I feel immense responsibility to make a film that not only presents women honestly, but is able to offer a different perspective on war; one that has followed and identified us as a nation ever since Azerbaijan gained its independence from the Soviet Union.
I believe that now, more than ever, we need to create art that puts a mirror to our societies, and shows us the destruction we’re causing to ourselves and the future generations.
Even in the midst of a global pandemic, we’ve witnessed the rise of wars and hostilities among nations. At the root of it, what drives these wars and hatred is nationalism, a concept created and led by the driving force of the patriarchy.
It is a vicious cycle that never ends, and we must do what we can to try to stop it. For me, it is by creating this film.
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