Documentary filmmaker Mikael Silkeberg has said that making a film exploring connections between Scandinavia and Azerbaijan helped him better understand his own mixed Nordic identity.
Mikael Silkeberg, a Swedish filmmaker who partly grew up in Denmark, told AnewZ's Nadia Gyane that his experience as an outsider informed his approach to his new film, The Homeland in Memory, which premiered in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on Tuesday.
"You know, they mocked me a lot in Denmark when I was growing up as a Swede. [...] And then having the weird identity of speaking broken Swedish when I go back to Sweden...
"Then I understood I will always be an outsider, but I would like to identify myself as a Swede, to the Swedish culture. For me, in a way, this movie was [a way] to discover my own culture and really understand what the different things mean."
The 55-minute documentary begins in the Swedish city of Uppsala, where Silkeberg examines a rare 17th-century manuscript, an early translation of the Gospels into Azerbaijani.
The film then moves to Stockholm, where it explores the Nobel brothers' activities in Baku during the 19th century.
The Swedish Nobel siblings — Robert, Ludvig and Alfred — built an international oil empire in the Azerbaijani capital during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The documentary also briefly examines links between other 19th-century Scandinavian figures and the Caucasus before shifting eastwards to Western Azerbaijan.
There, Silkeberg explores how the region's cultural memory is sustained through traditions, including the art of Azerbaijani ashiqs.
This ancient syncretic folk art centres on a travelling minstrel who combines poetry, storytelling, theatre and dance.
The film also considers Azerbaijani carpets as historical archives, with their patterns, colours and compositions reflecting cultural beliefs and historical contexts.
Created with the support of Azerbaijan's Embassy in Sweden, the documentary was first screened at Stockholm's Filmstaden Sergel cinema in May.
Zaur Ahmadov, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Sweden, said the film explored "how memory preserves identity beyond geography".
"At its core, the film presents Western Azerbaijan as a cultural landscape sustained through memory, a world of places, traditions, and meanings carried across generations."
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estim...
Australia has returned two ancient stone statue heads to China, more than 30 years after they were taken from imperial tombs in central China....
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body responsible for monitoring money laundering and terrori...
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Evacuations and the provision of humanitarian aid in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky have begun, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. In a statement on Telegram, David Arakhamia said a six-day ceasefire was holding, and that more details would follow.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the U.S. and Iran, according to an official briefed on the talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia remains willing to rebuild relations with European countries but warned that any wider conflict on the continent would leave no winners, as he commented on recent diplomatic contacts with Nordic leaders and growing security concerns in the Baltic region.
Around 40 international travellers from 13 countries explored Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region, visiting historic and religious sites and witnessing reconstruction, infrastructure development and mine-clearance efforts.
Five years ago today, Taliban fighters entered Kabul, completing a rapid takeover of Afghanistan as the former government collapsed.
Kyrgyzstan is emerging as one of Central Asia’s most captivating destinations, offering visitors everything from the Tien Shan mountains and Lake Issyk-Kul to centuries-old nomadic traditions. AnewZ explores its landscapes, rich nomadic heritage and preparations for the World Nomad Games.
AnewZ travelled across northeastern Syria, where the scars of more than a decade of war remain visible but many believe the country has entered a new chapter.
The Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein made its way onto Paris racks at one of the most iconic department stores, BHV.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment