KBR filmmaker awarded at Cannes Film Festival

The film "Dylda" (Beanpole) has brought to Kantemir Balagov, a filmmaker from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), the prize of the best direction in the second most important contest programme of the Cannes Film Festival – "Special Look" (Un Certain Regard).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 17, the film "Dylda" by Kantemir Balagov was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was presented in the contest programme "Special Look" and nominated for an award named "Queer Palm" for selected LGBT-relevant films.

Kantemir Balagov, the author of the "Dylda" himself, said that this nomination "was a bit annoying," because the film is not dedicated to the problems of the LGBT community.

"Among the KBR youth, there is sympathy for Balagov's creative works. Young people speak of his sensational films with great warmth. (...) If his film is not for the first time nominated for the Cannes Film Festival, then, it should please," said Madina Ezaova, the head of the Adyg Cultural Centre of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University (KBSU).

The prize of the Cannes Film Festival for the best film director in the "Special Look" programme was received, for Kantemir Balagov, who could not return in time to Cannes from Russia, by the film producer Alexander Rodniansky, the TASS has reported.

According to the producer, in August, the "Dylda" will be released in France, the TASS has added.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 24, 2019 at 11:12 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.