Dilshad Aliyarli - Voice of America, August 8, 2015
The filmmaker expressed concern that Azerbaijani cinema does not receive sufficient attention and explained the reasons behind this issue. According to him, Azerbaijani directors are compelled to make films in Persian to attract a larger audience and make their films commercially viable. “This leads to a situation where fewer films are made in Azerbaijani Turkish, and filmmakers tend to focus on general topics rather than culturally specific ones,” he said.
Riza Siyami discussed the role of well-known Azerbaijani filmmakers in the development of Azerbaijani cinema in Iran and highlighted the increasing production of short films in recent years. “Young filmmakers in Iranian Azerbaijan have been very active in this field. Their short films have participated in various international film festivals and have even won awards. However, in the realm of professional commercial cinema, these efforts remain quite limited,” he noted.
The director stated that one of the main reasons for this limitation is the belief among filmmakers that movies produced in Azerbaijani Turkish can only be screened in Turkish-populated regions. Because of this, he explained, many filmmakers prefer to focus on more general topics.
Riza Siyami revealed that he is currently working on a film about Karabakh. “I have been working on an artistic documentary film about Karabakh. The film is about Karabakh refugees. The screenplay has been completed, and we plan to start filming in the fall. The film will be produced for the TRT channel and will be 80 to 90 minutes long. In general, 95% of my films are related to Azerbaijan, and this will continue in the future.”
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Rza Siyami: Qarabağ haqda film üzərində işləyirəm