The Return of the Projectionist Le Retour du projectionniste
Synopsis
In this real-life tale set in a remote village in Azerbaijan’s Talysh mountains, elderly TV repairman Samid dusts off his old Soviet film projector with dreams of bringing movies on the big screen back to his rural community. When he meets Ayaz, a tech-savvy young man who creates short animated movies on his cell phone, the two join forces to realize Samid’s vision. But first, he must get a new projector bulb all the way from Lithuania and overcome skepticism among some of the town’s more conservative citizens.
Impeccably photographed and suffused with its protagonists’ love of cinema, The Return of the Projectionist unfolds with the sublime simplicity of the Iranian New Wave and the charm of Cinema Paradiso. Against the backdrop of Azerbaijan’s conflict with Armenia and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Samid and Ayaz’s goals may seem trivial, but their everyday struggles — between tradition and modernity, past and future — resonate deeply.
Screenings & Events
Screening
Sun, Oct 20 @ 8:15pm CDT
at Gene Siskel Film Center, screen 2
Director Orkhan Agazade
- Assistive Listening Devices available
Screening
Mon, Oct 21 @ 12:00pm CDT
at AMC NEWCITY 14, screen 01
Director Orkhan Agazade
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Media
Film Credits
- François-Pierre Clavel, Alexandre Perrier, Lino Rettinger
- Orkhan Aghazadeh
- Nicole Schmeier
- Daniel Guliyev
- Kidam, Lichtblick films
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin