HOLY COW

Info

Documentary, Azerbaijan, Germany, Romania 2015
Runtime: 75 min. / 52 min.
Director: Imam Hasanov
Production: Free Art, Kloos & Co. Medien, Conset

Tapdyg leads a simple life with his wife and children in a remote mountain village in Azerbaijan. But he has come up with a revolutionary plan that he thinks will make a better life for himself and his family. He plans on buying a European cow that produces more milk than traditional cattle. As well as having to save for a long time and borrowing money from acquaintances to make the purchase, Tapdyg also needs permission from the village elders. They are completely against it: in their minds, any kind of foreign influence would be bad for this isolated village, and they wonder whether this kind of beast could survive there anyway. Even his wife begs him not to do it – what would the neighbors think? This increasing resistance only strengthens Tapdyg’s resolve to follow his dream. Full of determination, he pins a magazine photo of his dream cow on his wall and starts setting up a cowshed. It’s not long before Tapdyg infects the other villagers with his little act of courage and his burgeoning success. This magical and uplifting celebration of single-minded tenacity is a feel-good movie about making our dreams come true. It shows how human beings handle change and react to globalization when it affects them directly – even in the smallest village in the Caucasus Mountains.

Festivals:
2015: IDFA
2016: DocPoint Helsinki, One World Prague, Vera FF, Cinema Planeta, Crossing Europe Linz, Hot Docs, South East LA, Europe On Screen Jakarta,  Against Gravity Warsaw, HADOC, Guth Gafa, EBS Korea, Kinookus Food FF, Anuu-ru Aboro, Cinedoc Tbilisi, Devour Food Film Festival, This Human World
2017: Qumra, Basel Quartierfilmfestival, Kilkenny Club, Image Festival Baku