Azerbaijani animated film selected to Annecy Festival

The animated short film HADIS is dedicated to the memory of 22-year-old Azerbaijani Turk Hadis Najafi and to all fighting against gender, ethnic, and cultural discrimination in Iran. Najafi was murdered by Iranian security forces on September 21, 2022, and is now revered as a symbol of Azerbaijani resistance and ethnic struggle in Iran.

HADIS has been selected for the Official Selection of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. This festival is widely recognized as the world’s leading animation festival, showcasing the best in animated films worldwide. Being selected among 3250 films received from 112 countries for the Official Selection at Annecy is a significant achievement for the Azerbaijani film industry.

Directed by Nazrin Aghamaliyeva and produced by Rashid Aghamaliyev, HADIS follows a young woman who decides to fight for justice in an unjust world ruled symbolically by crows.

The screenplay is co-written by Ismail Iman and Nazrin Aghamaliyeva, with Masud Panahi serving as a consultant to the film. The lead animator is Andrea Szelesová, with editing by Jorge Sánchez Calderón. Voice acting is performed by Zohre Karimi. The film’s soundtrack features the music of popular Azerbaijani musician Sevda Alekbarzadeh.

HADIS is produced by ANIMAFILM Studio with financial support from the Azerbaijan Cultural Society of Northern California. The Azerbaijan Animation Association and Akinchi platform provided media support for the film.