MOSCOW, June 22 – RIA "Dagestan". The Beat Film Festival of documentary cinema focusing on new culture has taken place in Moscow, with its lineup including "Jazzestan", a documentary about a musical group from Dagestan.
The film explores the story of "neeet, ty chto", one of Russia's most unusual indie ensembles, comprised of Dagestani jazz musicians.
Ramazan Mallaev and Rasul Makhaliev founded the group by merging jazz, funk and Caucasian cultural influences, establishing "neeet, ty chto" as one of the most notable discoveries at the country's music festivals.
Filmed by the group's permanent music video director Timur Abakarov and producer Mikhail Novitsky, the project goes beyond a simple biography to uncover the ideological foundation of "neeet, ty chto." The band's manifesto centers on an unwavering passion for their profession, a refusal to follow trends and the production of dynamic music enriched with what the artists humorously term "a modicum of art."
The picture illustrates both the grueling path the Dagestani musicians navigated to achieve major recognition and the distinct creative ethos that defines their collective identity.