BY ELENA KOSOLAPOVA
AZERI OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
The second IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival, held in Azerbaijan on May 2-17, drew an audience of 4,000 people. It was announced by the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan at the official closing ceremony of the Festival on Tuesday.
IMAGINE 2018 was timed to the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights and aimed to promote the values of the intercultural dialogue and tolerance through different expressions of art. The slogan of the Festival is “All in one festival. One Festival for all. All together for a better world!”
The program of this year included 37 movie screenings by 28 different countries, including Azerbaijan, 3 ethnic music concerts, street and art performances, and debates and master classes with international movie directors.
Almost all 28 EU member states took part in IMAGINE 2018 and some non-EU countries also joined the initiative. This year, the Festival expanded its borders and went out of the capital Baku by screening of an Israeli film in Guba.
The initiative was supported by The Landmark, Park Cinema, “Yarat” Contemporary Art Center, in collaboration with Cinex Production, Azerbaijan National Culture and Art University, ADA University, Baku Music Academy, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Baku Music Academy, Azerbaijan University of Languages and ADO Theatre – Collective.
The first IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival was held in Baku in October 2017. The EU Delegation plans to hold the Festival again next year.
“We want to turn IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival into a tradition for future generations, a tradition that will unite the EU and other countries under the aegis of tolerance and multiculturalism,” Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas says.
