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The Maiden Tower

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“To love is not to look at one another, it is to look, together, in the same direction.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Every person at least once in their lifetime encounters a soul mate — “their kind of man”. But indecision or new types of relations that society forces us to follow, as well as the desire to keep up with everyone, do not allow us to see this person. Sometimes, in vain hope to reach some false ideals, we manage not to notice this kindred spirit, no matter how close he/she is.

The plot of the film called “Maiden Tower” tells about a casual acquaintance of two different people, each of them having their own personal relationships. However, during the acquaintance, both of them realize that they have met “their kind of man.”

Throughout the film, the characters have to make a choice: either keep everything as it is and return to their lives or start a new relationship with “their kind of man”, and this is what each of them has always secretly dreamt of...

Mehdi Aghayev

Director

the Maiden Tower
Mehdi Aghayev

Writer

the Maiden Tower
Mehdi Aghayev

Producer

the Maiden Tower
Turkay Jafarli

Key Cast

"Anar"
Konul Jafarzadeh

Key Cast

"Arzu"
Kamran Aghabalayev

Key Cast

"Manager of Caffe"

Project Title (Original Language):

Qız Qalası
Project Type:

Short
Genres:

Drama, melodrama, social, romance, short
Runtime:

26 minutes 30 seconds
Completion Date:

July 2, 2022
Production Budget:

8,000 USD
Country of Origin:

Azerbaijan
Country of Filming:

Azerbaijan
Language:

Azerbaijani
Shooting Format:

Digital Arri Alexa Mini
Aspect Ratio:

16:9
Film Color:

Color
First-time Filmmaker:

Yes
Student Project:

No

Director Biography - Mehdi Aghayev

Hi everyone!
Thanks for visiting my page! My name is Mehdi, I was born in Baku in 1985. In 2007, I graduated from the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts with a bachelor's degree in acting and directing faculty. In 2014, I graduated from Alexander Mitta's Film Structure master class in Moscow. I have also been working as a marketing professional for 12 years.

"The Maiden Tower" movie is my first work as author, director and screenwriter. Before that, I had several documentaries and commercials.

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Director Statement

The short melodrama “Maiden Tower” is my first work as an author and a film director.
Maiden Tower is an ancient monument located in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku. The origin and history of the tower is still the subject of discussion by many historians of the world.

According to the most famous legend about the Maiden Tower, a Shah’s daughter, who once lived there, threw herself from it and fell to her death. Despite the fact that the girl had a loved one, the Shah wanted to marry his daughter off against her will to another man. And this eventually led to her suicide. She had no other choice.

Inspired by this story, we asked ourselves: “Would the Shah’s daughter have thrown herself from the Tower had she lived in our time?”
The norms established by today’s society require that we strive for someone with more money, more perspective, more socially active — someone full of such “mores”.
As a result, in society, on social networks, we often meet the similar pictures of people who are literally competing with each other, people who are trying to seem as happy as everyone else in this fuss.
But still, there is something in all of us that does not change... namely, the desire to meet “your kind of man”. It is with such a person that we want to live our youth, do crazy things and be who we are. And at least once in our lifetime we get to meet such a person.
“Maiden Tower” tells about this valuable moment in our life. The film shows how important it is to meet your kind of man and build a relationship with someone on the same wavelength.
The characters of the film meet by chance and realize that they perfectly complement each other.
The heroes will have to make a choice: either go with the flow, giving themselves up to the Eastern mentality with its stability and predictability, or take a risk and start all over again with “your kind of man”... We decided to show how important it is to have such a person and not lose him, and also look at the Maiden Tower from a different, more modern angle. We wanted the Maiden Tower to tell not just a story about the unfortunate fate of the Shah’s daughter, but also symbolize the choices we have.
Because nowadays, the Maiden Tower gives each of us a chance to choose, and this choice may turn out right or wrong.