YET ANOTHER LEGEND OF LOVE

The Heydar Aliyev Centre hosted the premiere of the film “Ali and Nino”, after which it was released in the network of cinemas Cinema Plus. The long-awaited story of the two lovers finally came to the viewer, which is historically linked with the characters, and with the events of the beginning of the 20^th century, which are shown in the film. The first lady of Azerbaijan, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva and Vice-President of the Foundation, director and executive producer of the project Leyla Aliyeva attended the presentation of the film.

Anthem of love

Kurban Said's novel is not that simple, as it first seems. Therefore, the audience was eagerly waiting for the outcome of this international project. An international team of producers and the actors has enthusiastically worked on the project, confirming in practice the idea that the art has no borders, no nationality. The ability to work together has created a mutual interest in each other, in differences between Eastern and Western cultures, history and customs of the country. Numan Acar, who played the role of Ali’s friend, Seyid Mustafa, and came to the presentation of the film, said that during the filming he loved Azerbaijan, which had and has a special place in the world. Maria Valverde added that not only they, but also the entire production group fell in love with Azerbaijan, its nature and people who know how to respect people. Mehriban Zeki noted that the experience of such work is extremely important and useful for all participants of this project, since it is full of professional love for the common cause, mutual interest and trust, the ability to learn from experience at the shooting scene. In short, the design of this film is nothing but a cultural fusion of different film schools, the opportunity to see the results of new technological possibilities in the approach to film-making process, etc. On the screen, we see the result of this international artistic experience and feel joy that such a relationship is possible, that they strengthen cultural and friendly relations between people of different countries and cultures.

The film was not only the anthem of love for Muslims and Christians, but it was an anthem of tolerance and multiculturalism. It is good that it will be watched also in other countries. In particular, on October 24, at the opening ceremony of the Asian Film Festival, and in November in Los Angeles. And for the first time “Ali and Nino” was presented on January 27, 2016 as part of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in the US. For three days, the film was demonstrated here under the Premiere category of the festival. Even then, the film drew the attention of the world media. Foreign media praised the music and cinematography of Ali and Nino. The press noted that the music of the film was both nostalgic and romantic, sad, but also encouraging. Much of the film was shot in accordance with the original book, and reflects the negative and positive aspects of the relationship between two young people, as well as the pressure on them from the outside.

A film based on unusual work

Kris Thykier speaking after the show said: “In fact, today is the world premiere of Ali and Nino”. He expressed deep gratitude to the First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva for her support in making the film.

“Personally, I first watch the film dubbed into Azerbaijani. I hope that it will have great success. We were very pleased to make a film here, and we fell in love with your country”, said Kris Thykier. He particularly highlighted how the film's executive producer Leyla Aliyeva was in love with the film, her creative ideas, support for the overall workflow.

The film, which starred the representatives of different countries and nationalities, made a great impression on film critics. According to the author of the script, Academy Award laureate English writer and poet, film director, Commander of the Order of the British Empire Christopher Hampton, Ali and Nino is an unusual project. The film gave him the opportunity to get to know Azerbaijan. “It is interesting that such a small country territorially has original geographical location, climate, forests. Your people are very kind. I had a great time here”, said Christopher Hampton. Noting that he worked on many projects, Christopher Hampton stressed that the project was very interesting for him in terms of film-making process, and the theme.

By the way, a video of the film's leading actor Adam Bakri was shown before the demonstration. He expressed regret that he could not participate in the presentation in Baku. Adam Bakri said he enjoyed his role in the film. Speaking the Azerbaijani language, the actor said: “I had a great time in Azerbaijan and a meeting with you is an honor for me”.

The film also stars the stars of world cinema: Turkish actor Halit Ergenc, known for the high-profile series “Magnificent Century”, where he played the role of Sultan Suleyman; the Turkish actor, producer, director Numan Acar; American singer and actor, winner of Tony Award and three-time Golden Globe nominee, Mandy Patinkin; Danish actress Connie Nielsen; Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio; Humayon Ershardi; Moroccan actor Assaad Buab; Fakhraddin Manafov; Mehriban Zaki; Parviz Mamedrzaev; Jumshud Zeynalov, and others.

The shooting took place in the city of Baku (Icheri Sheher), in Khinalig, Ganja, Gadabey, Gobustan. Specific technological methods recreated oilfields in Bayil district. It fascinates and gives the illusion of a full sense of presence in that time and in that place, where a significant part of the action takes place on the background of oil rigs.

Executive producer of the film is the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva, director of the film is the winner of BAFTA Award, Asif Kapadia.

The novel Ali and Nino was first published in German in 1937 in Vienna (Austria). It was later published more than 100 times in 33 languages ​​of the world. A year later, Kurban Said released his second and last novel The Girl from the Golden Horn. Ali and Nino was the bestseller in 1937 and is popular today. It is considered a classic of the Azerbaijani literature.