Nizami Cinema Center will celebrate Azerbaijan Cinema Day on
August 2, Azernews reports.
The gala event, which marks the 126th anniversary of the
Azerbaijani cinematography, will bring together public and cultural
figures and film enthusiasts.
The ceremony will kick off with guests exploring the exhibition,
which illustrates the history of the Azerbaijani cinema art.
By order of National Leader Heydar Aliyev dated December 18,
2000, August 2 was declared National Cinema Day, a professional
holiday of cinema workers.
This day is commemorated annually with a range of events
celebrating the rich history of Azerbaijani cinema.
Following the Lumiere brothers invented the cinematograph in
1895, Russian photographer and cameraman Alexandre Michon began
filming motion pictures showcasing daily life in Baku.
The first silent short film of the Azerbaijani cinematography
titled "You are caught", premiered in Baku in August 1898, marked
the birth of Azerbaijani cinema.
At the beginning of the last century, foreign film companies
such as Pathé, the Pirone Brothers Society, and Film opened their
branches in Baku and began producing films.
In 1916, a short film called "In the Kingdom of Oil and
Millions" was shot based on the novel of the same name by writer
Ibrahimbek Musabayov, and in 1917, "The Cloth Peddler" was produced
based on the operetta by Uzeyir Hajibayli.
After the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan in 1923,
the Azerbaijan Photo and Film Administration (APFA). The first
State Film Factory started operating on April 28 of the same year.
The first film shot here was the feature film "Maiden Tower", based
on a folk legend.
Today, local film companies are producing dozens of films that
have gained international acclaim. The film production industry in
the country is rapidly expanding, making it possible for a
multitude of filmmakers to express themselves in different
ways.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr