"Enough": The 7th SevilFest Officially Begins

On 3 July, the opening ceremony of the 7th Sevil International Women's Documentary Film Festival took place at Landmark. Over the next nine days, the festival will continue with film screenings, masterclasses, discussions, and special events across Baku, Sheki, and Lankaran.
 

The evening began with a welcome reception, followed by the official opening ceremony hosted by the festival presenters. The festival was officially declared open, and SevilFest Founder and Festival Director Aygün Rashidova:

“When we founded the festival in 2020, our team consisted of just five people. Today, we have grown to a team of 18".
 

Following her remarks, the Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan, Sifi Laqut, welcomed guests in Azerbaijani and spoke about the shared values promoted by the festival.

Monique Lesterhuis, researcher and screenwriter, who was invited to the festival as part of the Heddy Honigmann Retrospective, highlighted the significance of the retrospective dedicated to the acclaimed filmmaker's life and cinematic legacy.
 

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the embassies of France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium in Azerbaijan, as well as members of the local film and cultural community.

For the first time this year, the festival also hosted a Pop-up Store featuring products by women entrepreneurs. Participating brands included Yarny, Punkap, Amore Brooch, Parcha, Barghuzar, Tenbelf, and Mi Mi.

The evening concluded with the screening of Cutting Through Rocks, directed by Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film will have its second festival screening on 6 July, followed by a Q&A with directors Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki.
 

The 7th Sevil International Women's Documentary Film Festival will continue until 11 July.