Azeri film director wins Gold Award of 2011 California Film Awards

Baku, February 9 (AzerTAc). Azerbaijani filmmaker Ilgar Safat has won Gold Award of the 2011 California Film Awards with his film “The Precinct”. The 2011 California Film Awards Ceremony was held in San Diego, California. All award-winning films and filmmakers were announced publicly and to the media. The California Film Awards honours new and cutting-edge American and foreign independent films in several competition categories. Partnering with notable film industry companies, film educators, directors, producers, and writers, competition provides a forum for talented filmmakers to be recognized for their work, creativity, and achievements. The Official Jury awarded deserving films, filmmakers, and writers in the following categories: Best Picture, Screenplay, Directing, Actor, Actress, Art Design, Cinematography, Editing, Animation, Short Films, Feature Narratives, Documentaries, Foreign Films, Music Videos, Experimental Films, First-Time Directors, California Films, and Student Films. In addition, Special Jury Prizes and cash awards were awarded to several standout films and screenplays at the discretion of the Jury. The California Film Awards proudly supports the craft of screenwriting by discovering and recognizing important new talent through Screenplay Competition. Top screenplays in the competition are awarded based on the quality and originality of the work. “The Precinct” is a co-production between Azerbaijan (“Narimanfilm”) and Georgia (“Georgianfilm” & “Bagira Films”) which was developed within the framework of the Independent Film-makers` Association – South Caucasus (IFA-SC) training program. The film starring Zaza Bejashvili (Georgia), Melissa Pappel (France), Vagif Ibrahimoglu (Azerbaijan) and others was shot by the Azeri film director Ilgar Safat. The movie unveils the mystical story of a famous photographer, who makes a trip to his childhood. The production of the movie was funded by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism and PASHA Bank.