Azerbaijan represented at the Telluride Film Festival for the first time - PHOTO

The film "It Lives Under The Snow" has become the first film from Azerbaijan selected for the Telluride Film Festival.

The short feature film "It Lives Under The Snow," produced by Ultra Production as part of a co-production between Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Singapore, has been selected to take part in the 53rd Telluride Film Festival, which is being held in the American state of Colorado from September 4 to 7, 2026.

As noted in the release, this is the first film in the history of Azerbaijani cinema selected to participate in this film festival.

The Telluride Film Festival, founded in 1974, is considered one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. On the calendar of film events, it takes place after the Cannes Film Festival and before the festivals in Toronto and New York, serving as one of the main "discovery platforms" of the fall film season.

Telluride accepts only films with a world premiere. The festival is known for being the place where such films as "Roger & Me" by Michael Moore and "El Mariachi" by Robert Rodriguez were first presented to a global audience. Every year, a very limited number of works is selected from hundreds of submissions.

The plot of "It Lives Under The Snow" unfolds in a village where people have been mysteriously disappearing for many years. The locals join forces with two strangers to find Murad, who has recently gone missing. The search leads them to a local legend about a mysterious creature believed to live under the snow. In the end, the characters find themselves on the trail of a mystery that turns out to be far deeper than they could have imagined.

The film's director is Igor Smola. The lead role is performed by Arzuman Mirzasoy.

The producers are Emil Najafov, Grigory Bagayev, Elmaddin Aliyev, Ismail Safarali, Fakhriya Ismailova, Kamala Israfilova, Alvin Lee, Ilkin Mammadli, Duygu Davali, Serkan Yegen, and Igor Smola.

Director Igor Smola and producer Ismail Safarali are currently at the festival.

The film "It Lives Under The Snow" will be screened as part of the 53rd Telluride Film Festival, which is taking place September 4–7, 2026.