"BAKU, I LOVE YOU!"

Work on the film project "Baku, I love you!", which was shot this summer in our capital city, is about to be completed. Spectators will see the new film in February of this year. Film dubbing is currently coming to an end. This is the first large-scale international project, which involved actors and directors from around the world. Our R+ correspondent talks to the co-producer of the film project, Nadir Machanov, on how the idea of the film was born, the process of filming and many other things.

- One of the co-producers of the film project "Baku, I love you" is Yegor Konchalovskiy. Where did your collaboration start?

- A few years ago, when Yegor was working on the film project "Astana - my heart", he involved me in the project. He read my script and decided to make a film based on my novel "Beka". So we started to work together and became friends. After Astana, Yegor offered me another project on Almaty. Then I thought why not make a film about Baku? I have always been attracted here. Wherever I was, I was connected to my homeland with an invisible thread. A few years later, when I became a director, I made a documentary called "S?rq?n" ("Exile") dedicated to repressed Azerbaijanis. And then I started a project on Tashkent TV - a weekly show in Azerbaijani "Az?rbaycan t?vh?l?ri". When I suggested to Yegor that we should make a feature film about Baku, I assured him that the project would be colourful and memorable. I began to tell Yegor about Baku and Bakuvians, the history of the country and the beauty of our capital. My idea interested Konchalovskiy, and we decided to seek the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Yegor and I met with the vice-president of the Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva. I remember that Yegor was very anxious if she would understand and accept our idea? After listening to us, Mrs Aliyeva said that it was a great idea and that she would like us to show "her beloved Baku in all its glory". As a result, Leyla Aliyeva became manager of the project "Baku, I love you!". Then there was a meeting with the head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, who also supported our initiative, and we began to prepare for work. It was necessary to gather scripts for 10 short films, which could involve directors and actors from several countries. This project was aimed at combining individual stories about Baku and Bakuvians in one single concept. And we managed to do it! After all, we chose true short film professionals. Two of them - Englishman Alexander Fodor, who works with the BBC TV channel, and Italian-Portuguese director Andre Badalo, are currently shooting a film for Warner Brothers.

- The filming crew of the project "Baku, I love you!" is perhaps the most international in the past few years. Tell us about it.

- As a result of careful selection, the directorial group was formed - Yegor Konchalovskiy (Russia), Aleksey Golubev (Russia), Nargiz Bagirzada, Ilqar Safat, Samir Karimoglu, Yavar Rzayev, Andrey Razenkov (Russia), Alexander Fodor (England), Andre Badalo (Italy) and me. Many members of the crew visited here for the first time. They were amazed by our city! They talked about the warmth of Azerbaijanis and oriental hospitality. They were surprised by the professionalism of our actors. The shooting of the film involved local actors: Lalazar Mustafayev, Sanubar Isgandarova, Mabud Maharramov, Rasim Balayev, Farhad Israfilov, Samil Suleymanov, Elsan Cabrayilov, Aysad Mammadov, Qurban Ismayilov, Rasim Cafar, Fuad Osmanov, Bahram Bagirzada and foreign stars: Asia Argento (USA), Alessandro Bertolucci (Italy), Eysan Ozhim (Turkey), actors and actresses from Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan. The music producer of the film is the famous Russian composer Viktor Sologub. The film also uses music by Azerbaijani composers Siyavus Karimi and Vuqar Camalzada.

- Your project involved the Hollywood movie star Asia Argento. How were you able to get a star of such magnitude for your film?

- We, as expected, acted through agents. After reading the script, the actors agreed to participate in the project. I guess they did not regret it. Asia Argento was delighted with the filming. In the scene with her participation, we filmed the Lankaran Grannies, who were supposed to show the audience an ancient wedding ceremony. For Argento, the shooting of our film was a real exotic adventure. After that, she said that she was glad to meet our country and people. Italian Alessandro Bertolucci featured as a coastguard member and the Turkish star Eysen Ozhim appeared in the very vivid image of a Baku Jewish woman. Eysen is an incredible actress! Many Hollywood stars would envy her professionalism and acting skills. She undertook to dub her role in the Azerbaijani language herself.

The filming process in Baku took place without any problems, everything went smoothly and harmoniously. Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the whole filming crew of the project "Baku, I love you!", I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for their help and support. In general, we felt a lot of support from ordinary residents of the capital. Everyone who was somehow involved in the shooting of the film wanted our Baku to be shown in its best light. The film "Baku, I love you!" will be ready in February 2013. We hope that the audience will appreciate our work. For me personally, the most important critic is the spectator. And I think people will like our picture.

- Nadir, how did you become a filmmaker? You probably dreamed about it as a child?

- I was born in the village of Kabahcel in Balakan District. I studied very well. I took first place in the National Olympiad in Physics twice and fourth place in the all-Soviet competition. My father was a party worker, and my mother - a physician. They wanted me to devote my life to a serious and important profession. In the sixth grade, I suddenly became interested in the stage. I played the harmonica, staged various performances and took part in them myself. I liked to lead the theatrical process. I remember the first performance "In 1905", which I staged at school based on a play by Cafar Cabbarli. After the full house at school, I started to think seriously about becoming a director. As the winner of the Olympiad in physics, I was invited to enter any Soviet university without exams after school. I chose the Moscow Physical-Technical Institute, but decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with my mother and tell her about my dream of becoming a director. When my father found out about it, he was totally against my decision. My father believed that everything connected with the stage was not serious, especially as he had already planned out my whole life. At 24, I had to defend my thesis and by 30 - become a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences. And it was quite real. Arguing with dad was useless. I had to go to Moscow to study at the Physical-Technical Institute, but my father intervened again. He believed that children should be supervised by their parents and insisted that I should stay in Baku and become a student of the Faculty of Physics at Azerbaijan State University. When I had to go to the post-graduate school in Moscow, I finally decided to visit the director's faculty at the State Institute for Cinematography and just try my hand. But I had no luck. I failed the entrance exam. There I was told to go to Tashkent Theatre Institute, which had a good reputation, and transfer to Moscow a year later. Of course, I never entered the post-graduate school, which is why my parents did not talk to me for two years. Then our relations improved. Mom and dad came to terms with my choice. And over time, I became their pride. I have always been proud only of them.