About

'In Azerbaijan we say that paradise is under the feet of the mother. It's a symbol of what a mother does for her child. To show what happens in the war, you just need to show a gun and sudden violence. That is easy and can be done quickly. I wanted to show the real impact through the mother which requires more depth.' Elchin Musaoglu

'After the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, Elchin Musaoglu's homeland of Azerbaijan was engulfed in war. The director, who was working in TV at the time, was deeply affected by the story of an old woman who, despite the obvious danger, refused to leave her village because her family was buried there. This in turn inspired him to make Nabat, a straightforward and affectionate depiction of a mother's love for her son, who is off fighting in the war. As with the long shot at the beginning showing the heroine delivering milk to a town in the next valley, the film is defined by its eloquent camerawork. Carefully tracing the woman's movements, each frame is filled with a sense of wonder. Fatemeh Motamed Arya, a leading Iranian actress, brilliantly portrays the woman who is forced to endure a lonely existence.' Tokyo International Film Festival

Ages 18+