"No smoking" film festival takes place in Baku

By AzerNews

Have you ever thought about what would the world look like without cigarettes? Today, the problem of smoking is one of the hottest issues for the whole world.

In fact, it is difficult to find at least one system of the organism, which does not suffer from tobacco smoke: respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive and nervous systems. Giving up smoking is an extraordinary event for individual physiology, psychology and prophylaxis. The whole world is struggling with this problem, and the capital of our country - is no exception.

Baku joined World No Tobacco Day by hosting the "No Smoking!" film festival under the motto "Shoot a film instead of smoking".

Prior to the event guests were shown a social project of Azerbaijani People's Artist Brilliant Dadasheva dedicated to the World No Tobacco Day.

Organized by the "Add?m" Youth Association with the support of the Youth Fund under the President of Azerbaijan, Youth and Sports Ministry and the Center for Public Health and Reforms of the Health Ministry, the festival featured those 18 short films reached the final of the festival. The winners were determined by counting the voices of the jury.

During a vote count after watching all the movies, popular Ukrainian singer Andrey Yurets appeared before the audience.

"I love your city very much, I love the people who live there," he said. The singer also stressed the importance of holding such festivals." I believe that smoking is harmful, it seems better to waste time for doing good and helping others."

After the vote counting, winners in five categories were determined and winner of the Grand Prix of the festival was named. Thus, Elchin Telmanoglu received the main prize of the event.

The festival was aimed at creation of a motivation to give up smoking, as well as to inform and support people who are ready to give up their habit.

"Regardless of who will win the festival, the winner is those who say No! to cigarettes. The greatest reward is health was the leitmotif of the evening," was the motto of the festival.

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is marked around the world every year on May 31. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually.

The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) first announced World No Tobacco Day in 1987. In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.

According to researches, 45 percent of men in Azerbaijan smoke. Moreover, the number of women smokers has increased -- from 3 percent six to seven years ago to the current 10 percent. In addition, smoking is widespread among teenagers.

An anti-smoking bill envisages broadcasting educational and news programs for no less than 90 minutes on every TV channel over a month. They may include social advertisement, as well as promotional materials against tobacco smoking. Also, such footage will be aired on radio stations.