Heddy Honigmann Retrospective

We are proud to dedicate this year’s retrospective programme of our festival to one of the most distinctive documentary filmmakers, Heddy Honigmann.

Marking the 75th anniversary of her birth, we will present a programme of her films to Azerbaijani audiences.

Heddy Honigmann (1951–2022) was born in Lima, Peru, into a family of Holocaust survivors. In the late 1970s, she settled in the Netherlands, where she became one of the country’s most important filmmakers. Her life and work bring together stories and histories from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Netherlands.

Over a career spanning more than 25 years, Honigmann created films that explore themes such as empathy, memory, music, exile, love, and conflict. Her films traverse countries, languages, and human experiences - from migrant musicians performing in the Paris metro to taxi drivers in Peru, from the traces of war in Bosnia to Cuban immigrants living in New Jersey.

One of the defining qualities of Honigmann’s cinema is her unique relationship with people. Through simple, intimate conversations, her films reveal the inner worlds of her subjects - their vulnerability, humour, and the quiet, universal moments of being human.

Her films have been screened at festivals around the world and have received numerous awards. She was among the rare artists who were recognized and appreciated during their lifetime. Although primarily known for her documentaries, Honigmann also directed several notable feature films.

The films presented within the festival’s retrospective programme will be screened in Azerbaijan for the very first time.

We believe that revisiting her deeply humanistic perspective is more relevant today than ever.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Heddy’s family, her close collaborators, her producers, and the Eye Filmmuseum for their support in making this retrospective possible.

May 21 marks the anniversary of Heddy Honigmann’s passing. This retrospective is dedicated to her cherished memory.