‘Tatar Word is a brand, the participation in it is a status’
A TV recitation contest with a million rubles of prize money continues receiving applications
Applications for the 3rd Tatar Word International Recitation TV Contest organised by the Tatarstan presidential commission for the conservation, development of the Tatar language and mother tongues of the ethnicities living in the Republic of Tatarstan, Tatarstan — New Age TV and radio company have been received since 1 June. At a press conference, journalists were told what applicants should pay attention to and offered representatives of all peoples of the republic to participate in the contest.
Anybody can participate
To participate in the contest, one should record a poem or a fragment of prose on video (horizontally, in mpg, mpeg2 or mpeg4) send it with a questionnaire in Russia or Tatar to the official email tnvtatarsuze@mail.ru. The participants are divided into two categories: under 10 years inclusively, 11-17 years, from 18 and older; authors of compositions (from 15 and older; artist families; professionals (including theatre artists, actors, pop artists, broadcasters, masters of elocution, teachers of theatre colleges and others). There are two nominations: Prose and Poetry. One can read both one’s own compositions and classic and contemporary writers’ texts.
The applications are received until 31 October inclusively. The jury will assess the works from 1 November 2022 to 28 February 2023. The organisers will announce the date and place of a gala concert. On 1-31 March, the winners will be invited for shooting to SHAYAN TV channel’s studio for five programmes 15 minutes each, which will be shown on TNV, TNV Planet, SHAYAN TV and Maydan. The gala concert is also expected to be recorded. Separate short programmes are also going to be made with every winner, it will be about 30 programmes.
Every category has prize money, for all three places. For instance, the first prize in the U10 category is 11,500 rubles. The authors receive 57,500 rubles, families do 92,000, professionals get 115,000 rubles. By the way, the organisers indicate that income tax is going to be charged. The total prize money is 1,196,000 rubles.
New season, new jury
As Ramilya Sakhabutdinova, executive director of SHAYAN TV, indicated this year the jury has head of the Tatarstan Union of Writers Rkail Zaydulla, State Council deputy and actor Ramil Tukhvatullin, actor of the Tinchurin Theatre Irek Khafizov, vice head of the Kazan Executive Committee for Social Affairs Guzel Sagitova, Director of the Institute of Tatar Encyclopaedia and Regional Studies of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences Iskander Gilyazov, head of the Kamal Theatre’s museum Luara Shakirzyanova.
“These are jury members who care about the Tatar word,” noted Sakhabutdinova.
Tukhvatullin took the floor after her speech demonstrating miracles of multiculturalism and remember that even holy books read: “The Word was first.”
“The word has great power, it can even kill,” the State Council deputy noted. “The Tatar word is the protection of our great language. If it is heard in music, on the stage, it means it is alive.”
The previous festival ended in May. Among authors, the winners were Gulyusa Battalova, Bulat Ibragimov, Nuria Bashirova, Alina Shagarayeva, Almaz Khamzin. The Mishurins family became the main poetic family. Among professionals, Rishat Akhmadullin from the Kamal Theatre finished first, his colleague Emil Talipov and Artyom Piskunov from the Tinchurin Theatre got silver, Dinar Khusnutdinov from the Almetyevsk Theatre was third. By the way, the second contest was held by the Tatar Philharmonic, 3,557 applications were received, 310 participants reached the second round. 40 readers who divided 1,600,000 rubles won.
“We look for staff in the contest”
Singer Aydar Fayzrakhmanov, writer Foat Galimullin, actress Rezeda Salakhova, TV host Ildar Kiyamov and poet Ilsiyar Iksanova were jury members then. So TNV channel became the main organiser, Sakhabutdinov explained the TV format of the contest and called the programme itself a relay. Artyom Piskunov shared his secrets of victory:
“It is necessary to express the author’s thought, this isn’t prose where everything is open, spelt out, it is necessary to know how to read between the lines, it is necessary to know the writer.!
“Tatar Word is a brand, the participation in it is a status,” noted Roza Adiyatullina, one of the organisers chairing the dubbing studio of SHAYAN TV. “Applications are received every day. The number of families grows, which is pleasant. We saw at the recent gala concert that more families bring their children up in the Tatar environment.”
“Since the activity of the commission expanded,” Tukhvatullin indicated, “it would be interesting if representatives of the republic’s peoples tried their hand and read compositions in Tatar. It would be an interesting mosaic.”
“We will evaluate how the author’s thought is delivered,” Irek Khafizov supported his colleague. “We will look at the beauty of the speech. It is pleasant that SHAYAN TV does it: our young friends will get acquainted with literature at a young age.”
Sakhabutdinova added that both the costumes and musical instruments will influence the jury’s opinion. Also, she recommended reciting not the most famous compositions and noted that children who speak with an accent shouldn’t be afraid, they can participate too.
“We look for staff in the contest,” Adiyatullin revealed the secret. “We will choose talented lads among the applicants and invite them to television.”