Golden Minbar International Film Festival
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The International Festival of Muslim Cinema Golden Minbar is an annual event which provides a forum for Muslim filmmakers. It is a showcase for Islamic Cinema and Muslim Cinema. It provides a place for meetings and an exchange of experience among the filmmakers of Russia, the Muslim countries and the world. The festival is open to not only Muslims, but also the representatives of other faiths creating films.
The high award of the festival is the Golden Minbar statuette in the shape of a reel of cine-film with the ends transforming into the waves carrying the ark with a Minbar - a place from where the Imam preaches.
History
The First International Festival Of Muslim Cinema "Golden Minbar" took place in the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan - Kazan - from the 5th to 11 September 2005 and was devoted to the 1000th anniversary of Kazan. About 20 countries took part in the festival. Like the first festival, the second «Golden minbar» festival also was held in Kazan under the motto «religious tolerance and political correctness». A total of 175 pictures from 25 countries were sent in.
For the third International festival of Muslim cinema "Golden minbar", the guest of honour at the festival in Kazan was the French actress Catherine Deneuve and Kazakhstan's ambassador to UNESCO Olzhas Suleimenov.
Now, more than 40 countries take part in the festival.
Awards
Feature film The International Jury for full and short-length feature films presents prizes as follows:
Statuette awarded to full-length feature films:
- Best producer,
- Best direction,
- Best actor,
- Best actress,
- Best cinematographer,
- Best scriptwriter
Statuettes awarded to short-length feature films,:
- Best director
Special statuette:
- Special prize of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan for Humanism in Cinema Art.
B-Documentary film The International Jury for full and short-length documentary films presents prizes as follows:
Statuette for:
- Producer or Director of best full-length documentary film,
- Best direction of full-length documentary film.
- Director of best short-length documentary film,
Prizes at the discretion of their founders:
- Special Prize Televideocompany «Islamic World» for Contribution to Islamic Enlightenment,
- Special Prize of the festival sponsors,
- Special Prize of Advice of Muftis of Russia,
- Special Prize of The Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and culture "TURKSOY".