TEHRAN – “Castle of Love” (“Qiz Qalasi”), a co-production between Iran and Azerbaijan, had its premiere at the Nizami Cinema Center, a multiscreen cinema in Baku, Azerbaijan on Thursday.

Azerbaijan director Ilham Qasimov and Iranian producer Amir-Shahab Razavian also attended the special screening of the film, Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation announced on Friday. 

In his short speech before the screening, Qasimov said that the co-production is a big step forward in the expansion of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, and expressed his hope that the film can open a new chapter on cultural collaboration between the two countries and prepare the ground for more joint film projects.

Qasimov has written the screenplay based on an Azerbaijani mythical romance about Princess Aytakin who is in love with an ordinary boy from Tabriz, while she has lots of noble suitors.  

The “Castle of Love” project was launched in Baku during June 2018 under the tentative title “High Voltage”.

Scenes of the movie were also filmed on locations in the Iranian town of Meshkinshahr in Ardebil Province. 

Iranian actor Reza Naji, who won the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Actor for his role in Majid Majidi’s “The Song of Sparrows”, and Ziya Agha, Chinara Malikzada and Kamala Piriyeva from Azerbaijan are the main members of the cast.

Theaters in Azerbaijani cities of Ganja and Lankaran are also screening the movie.

Photo: A poster for “Castle of Love”.

MMS/YAW