30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

European premiere

Eleven years after her grandfather’s death, Azerbaijani filmmaker Leylakhanim Ganbarli finally faces the unprocessed grief of her loss by taking an emotional but also tangible journey: she travels from Baku to her remote childhood village, Oglangala, carrying precious memories with her. Through images and words that recall the past moments shared with her grandfather, the memories come to life, clear in her mind. The director's faithful traveling companion and pillar of emotional support is her grandmother, who offers comfort by sharing her memories. The documentary alternates family footage from the 1990s with current footage, solidifying the bond between past and present that can only exist thanks to family love, and marking a new phase in the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter.

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  Leylakhanim Ganbarli

  She is a multidisciplinary artist and director. She studied film at universities in Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Her short films have been presented at various festivals, including Cinedoc Tbilisi, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, in the Czech Republic and Iawart Asian Women's Film Festival, in India. Her first medium-length film, A butcher's daughter (2021), received a special mention at the DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival.