30 YEARS ON

At the end of the 1980s "Don't be afraid, I'm with you!" was the most popular film in the Soviet Union. Little boys learned how to fight "like San Sanych" and ride horses "like Rustam" and girls dreamed of being in love "like Teymur and Telli". Everyone, without exception, loved the "Caucasian western", as it was called at the time. And each time, after the happy ending, the audience would guess the fate of the main heroes in the picture. For over 30 years since its resounding success, the director of "Don't be afraid, I'm with you", Yuliy Gusman, has thought of making a sequel. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation supported the director's idea and on 15 November, the presentation of "Don't be afraid, I'm with you! 1919", made by the Azerbaijanfilm studios named after Cafar Cabbarli, in conjunction with the Russian Vayt Media film company, took place at the Heydar Aliyev Palace. The ceremony was attended by Azerbaijan's First Lady and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, the vice-president of the foundation, Leyla Aliyeva, and Arzu Aliyeva.

Speaking before the start of the film, Yuliy Gusman expressed the hope that "Don't be afraid, I'm with you! 1919" would be just as successful as the original film. He said the film had been made in six regions of Azerbaijan - from the Caspian shore to the country's westernmost border with Georgia. "And everywhere the film crew was met with real hospitality and received with open arms," he said gratefully. According to Azerbaijan's ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, Russia is also showing great interest in the sequel of this film. "I believe the second film will be just as popular as the first one and audiences will love it," he said.

If filming is in Azerbaijan 

To make the new film Yuliy Gusman gathered together the same crew that worked on the first "Caucasian western" 32 years ago. Taking part in the sequel were actors we all know: Lev Durov, the singer and composer Polad Bulbuloglu and the renowned stunt artist and creator of the equestrian theatre Mukhtarbek Kantemirov, and the cameraman on this occasion was Russian People's Artiste Vadim Alisov, who also worked on such masterpieces of the cinema as "A Cruel Romance", "Station for Two", "Dear Yelena Sergeyevna" and others. Among the Azerbaijani actors involved in the film are People's Artiste Haci Murad Yagizarov (war minister), Agaxan Salmanli (fisherman), Nuriya Ahmadova and Mabut Maharramov (Gocu Mirza), Merited Artiste Nubar Novruzova, the actors Sadig Ahmadov and Salman Bayramov, the well-known KVN [Club of the Merry and Inventive comedy show] members Bahram Bagirzada (Qafurbay), the brothers Tahir and Cabir Imanov (customs officers), Murad Dadasov (entertainer), the actor Ilqar Musayev (ship's commander), the sportsmen Fizuli Musayev and Rafayel Agayev, and others.

Polad Bulbuloglu played the part of Teymur Mammadbayov, composer and parliamentary deputy of the first Azerbaijani Democratic Republic. The part of his wife Telli was played by Azerbaijani People's Artiste Hamida Omarova. Teymur's friends are the same as in the first film: San Sanych is played by USSR People's Artiste Lev Durov and Rustam by Russian People's Artiste Mukhtarbek Kantemirov. San Sanych's pupil is played by the well-known animal trainer Edgard Zapashnyy. In the second film Teymur and Telly have a son (played by Ibrus theatre actor Zaur Safiyev) and a daughter (a Moscow schoolgirl) played by 16-year old Azerbaijani Kristina Gulaliyeva, who has a part in all the adventures.

There is also a new villain - the bandit Qafurbay (played by Bahram Bagirzada, who also has a son (played by Eurovision winner Eldar Hasimov). Teymur becomes a great composer and deputy and heads a cultural commission. Rustam, with his acute sense of justice, is depicted as a magician, whereas San Sanych, having fulfilled his dream, settles down in a quiet, cosy little house on the shores of the Caspian and teaches karate to Azerbaijani children. When unpleasant events occur the friends reunite in the fight against evil.

As in the first film, Gusman lovingly recreates the aura of his native Baku and lyricizes the incredibly beautiful nature of Azerbaijan. He plays on the niceties of our character, revealing in the heroes a strong and proud nature and an ability to make friends and a desire for freedom. According to the director of the picture, the Azerbaijani people are depicted in the film as music-loving, cheerful, heroic and happy. "Our film personifies the friendship between two peoples and shows that love and true, strong friendship can break down all barriers and misunderstandings," he noted.

"I gave four years of my life to this new film - not just I, but all of our huge team. We worked fearlessly, amicably and passionately. We spent four months filming in Azerbaijan, working side by side - over a hundred Azerbaijani and more than 150 well-known Russian actors and cameramen. And all this work was meaningful from the very beginning because we became even greater friends and our guests began to know more about Azerbaijan, its air, its mountains, its smiles and colours - the remarkable land that is called Azerbaijan," Yuliy Gusman told R+.

There was one incredibly touching moment in the film. When they were filming the uprising scene, where the hero Teymur Mammadbayov played by Polad Bulbuloglu climbs to the rostrum and sings the Azerbaijani national anthem, the crowd, ordinary local people, suddenly, with tears in their eyes, starts to sing the anthem with them. The whole film crew literally froze in amazement. This touching impromptu moment is also conveyed in the film.

Interesting moments 

Incidentally, when Merited Russian Artiste Mikhail Yefremov (the police chief) was unable to get to Baku for shooting, Bahram Bagirzada, who landed the part of the cunning Gafurbay, had to fly to Moscow. Filming in Azerbaijan was carried out in the summer, but there was snow in Moscow at the time. So during filming of the scene of Gafurbay in his office with the police chief the curtains had to be drawn. But on the walls of the office there were real photographs of Bahram's forefathers which he carefully preserves in his domestic archives. The colourful scenes of Teymur Badalbayli's hero, Coni, and Gafurbay were taken in the Fantasia baths in Baku. Bahram developed a bit of a complex over the fact that in the scene he appears wrapped in a towel. The director and the stuntmen involved in the scene gave the KVN-man as much encouragement as they could and the scene was shot successfully. During the filming of another scene in the school of the red horsemen, Mukhtarbek Kantemirov's pupil Mahirbay had to display the wonders of trick riding, and this despite a very disobedient horse which tried to show tetchiness whenever it could. But Mahirbay quietened it down and did all kinds of somersaults in the saddle. The fast-moving scenes, chases and fights reminded audiences that not without reason is the film "Don't be afraid, I'm with you!" called the Caucasian western. The film is interesting, gripping and emotional. 

At the ceremony of the presentation of "Don't be afraid, I'm with you!" Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Qarayev presented Yuliy Gusman with the Sohrat Order which, by order of President Ilham Aliyev, is awarded for services to the strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan.