DEPARTMENT OF FILM, FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION ARTS, CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY

CHULA WORLD FILM SERIES 2023

FEBRUARY FILM

‘DOWN THE RIVER’ ( ‘AXINLA ASHAGI’), AZERBAIJAN
90 Mins  (English Subtitles )

Directed by Asif Rustamov

DATE: TUESDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 5-30 PM
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUsV3Kv4dis
Screening will be followed by a Zoom Q & A, with the Director of the film, Asif Rustamov

Venue:
Dr Tiam Chokwadhana Auditorium, building 1,
3rd Floor, Faculty of Communication Arts
(MAP is attached )

Screening is Free, but Bookings are essential.

Bookings: [email protected]

This is a simple but thought-provoking domestic, moral, sports, and psychological drama. It is the debut movie of a talented film-maker from a country that is creating waves on the international festival circuit.

The director spent more than four years writing the script.
The story of the movie centers around Ali, the coach of a young rowing team in a small town. The team includes his son Ruslan who finds he can’t match his father’s strict standards and can’t connect with him.

That’s because Ali is going through a mid-life crisis, where he wants to leave his wife Leyla, and start a new life with his Polish girlfriend Sasha.

When an important race comes up, Ali removes his son from the team and opts for another student, which upsets his son very much. Soon after this, a tragedy occurs, which shakes Ali totally. The river, which was his refuge, now becomes his atonement.

The riveting performance of the protagonist, a stage-actor of repute, is the highlight of a deep and moving domestic drama. The soothing, stunning visuals of the river serve as a balm against the turbulence of the characters.

The film created waves at many festivals around the world, from Europe to USA, China, India.
Karlovy Vary Festival: Debut director Asif Rustamov treats a heavy subject with remarkable subtlety and discretion.
Let’s Cee Film Fest : Under the subtle influence of film music and amazing symbolic images, the film becomes a touching classic tragedy, with a small ‘happy end.’

The screening will be followed by a Zoom Q & A, with the Director Asif Rustamov

ASIF RUSTAMOV – Producer, Director, Scriptwriter
Asif Rustamov was born in 1975 in Baku (Azerbaijan) and studied in the Cinema Dept of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Art (Film Direction Faculty). His filmography includes shorts and documentaries, which participated and won awards in many international festivals. In 2014, he made his debut feature Down the River, which premiered at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival, participated in numerous festivals, and won several prizes. It won the Azerbaijan National Cinema Award for Best Debut Film.

Rustamov has scripted three features, directed a second feature Cold as Marble, and served on the Jury of various international film festivals. He is involved with many Film Projects and Scripts-in-Development. He is co-founder of the Association of Young Filmmakers of Azerbaijan, and is also one of the editors of the film magazine ‘Fokus.’