PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Elmar Imanov and Anar Imanov, director and co-writer of the film End of Season.
An interview with director Anar Imanov and his brother Elmar Imanov, who co-wrote End of Season with him, the film which they presented at the 2019 International Film Festival Rotterdam. The two reveal that this film was interestingly born out of a desire to portray an everyday family situation, but also out of a frustration with their unsuccessful attempt to get their previous project funded. We also talk about End of Season‘s sense of humor, their work with the cast and the impact of their perspective as Azerbaijani people who have lived in Germany for 20 years.
End of Season: A small family in Azerbaijan is on the brink of running its course. Son Machmud feverishly seeks a home of his own; mother Fidan wants her life back after years of service to the family; father Samir just wants to be left alone. Three free spirits orbiting each other, ignoring the annoyances as much as possible. However, a dramatic incident during a trip to the beach painfully highlights the hairline fractures in their existence. Azerbaijan-born director Elmar Imanov lives and studied filmmaking in Germany and his debut opens with a brief homage: a melancholy cover of Nena’s 99 Red Balloons. Imanov uses this family as an astute metaphor for what happens when freedom becomes the only goal, but then serves as cover for alienation and mutual incomprehension. The film masterfully navigates between the three characters and portrays them as complete strangers and inseparable ‘partners in crime’ at once.