Lala Aliyeva
STRANGE SEA
In the depths of the Caspian Sea the whispers of its dark past intertwine with the tales of ordinary life. Through a personal journey, 'Strange Sea' paints an impressionistic portrait of Azerbaijan.
SYNOPSIS
Strange Sea is an impressionistic documentary that drifts through the vanishing shores of the Caspian Sea, revealing the soul of Azerbaijan shaped by oil, history, and fear. The journey begins with filmmaker Lala Aliyeva’s childhood memory of nearly drowning-an echo of a nation’s survival. Through poetic vignettes of fleeting encounters with locals, crumbling ruins, grieving widows the film captures a landscape marked by political undercurrents and shifting identities. At its heart is Adela, a child absorbing a world she cannot yet explain. Through fragments of silence and quiet defiance, the Caspian appears as a spectral mirror-echoing past traumas, enduring resilience, and a slow, inevitable retreat.
DIRECTOR
Lala Aliyeva
PRODUCER
Aysel Akhundova
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Yaman Film
COUNTRIES
Azerbajian, Georgia
Lala Aliyeva
LALA ALIYEVA is a documentary filmmaker from Azerbaijan. She is a graduate of MA in Visual Anthropology from Goldsmiths University. She has been the co-founder and commissioning editor of the Chaikhana Multimedia Platform. Her short films premiered at Vision du Reel, Sheffield, Ji.hlava Film Festivals. Lala Aliyeva also teaches documentary filmmaking. She has won the CICLIC award at Trieste WEMW Forum and the Sundance Development Grant with Strange Sea, and got the support of Docs Up Fund. Lala was a Jacob Burns Film Center Resident.
Production company profile
Yaman Film is a female-led, independent production company based in Tbilisi, founded by Lala Aliyeva and Aysel Akhundova. With a focus on bold, author-driven cinema from the South Caucasus, Yaman Film supports poetic, politically resonant storytelling. Strange Sea, directed by Lala Aliyeva, is the company’s debut feature-length documentary, marking the beginning of its journey in amplifying unique, fearless voices from the region.