Far From the Front Lines

Although there were no Russian films in the competition program of this year's Berlin International Film Festival, which ended last Sunday, its highly multicultural Panorama section showcased a intriguing Azeri-Russian co-production called "Goodbye, Southern City." Set in Baku in 1988, the film is a drama that takes place against the backdrop of the Nagorno Karabakh war, one of the many long-dormant ethnic conflicts that resurfaced in the twilight years of Soviet rule.

While Azerbaijan's film industry hasn't been especially prolific in recent years, this film came about thanks to some successful Azeris, mostly based in Russia, who joined forces to address an important episode in their country's history.

"Goodbye, Southern City" was penned by the acclaimed Azerbaijan-born screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov, who has co-authored such high-profile international projects as Regis Wargnier's "East-West" and Sergei Bodrov's "Nomad." In Russia, he is best known for collaborating with Nikita Mikhalkov on films like "Hitchhiking," "Close to Eden," "Burnt by the Sun" and "The Barber of Siberia."

For his newest project, Ibragimbekov chose a topic that hit closer to home. "Goodbye, Southern City" explores how the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the fall of the Soviet Union affect the lives of some ordinary denizens of a Baku apartment complex, with much of the action taking place in the complex's courtyard. Though it is naturally something of an ensemble piece, the film has a central character: Alik, a quiet yet willful oil company driver in his late 20s, who is well-meaning but a bit behind the times. The role is played by Timur Badalbeili, an actor at Moscow's Taganka Theater.

Besides writing the screenplay, Ibragimbekov co-produced the film and enlisted a fellow Azeri, Oleg Safaraliyev, to direct it.

Safaraliyev, 55, is a Russian citizen who lives and works in Moscow. Born to Azeri political exiles in Kazakhstan, he attended Baku Pedagogical University, graduating in 1973 with a degree in history. He then taught history for 10 years in Soviet middle schools.

All 10 years, I knew I wanted to become a filmmaker," Safaraliyev recalled during a recent interview in Moscow.

He got his chance in 1984 when he enrolled in the prestigious VGIK film school. In some ways, Safaraliyev's background is similar to that of Russian director Alexander Sokurov -- both men were born the same year, both studied history and both are VGIK alumni. But the two could not be more different in terms of their aesthetic choices. While Sokurov is an admirer of what he calls "Old World" art and classical music, who explores complex philosophical and psychological themes in his films, Safaraliyev is a jazz buff who belongs to the less-is-more school of filmmaking.

"I'm a proponent of simple cinema, just as I am fond of simplicity in literature," Safaraliyev said. "If I have a choice between Chekhov and Nabokov, I always choose Chekhov because his work is simpler and clearer."

"Goodbye, Southern City" premiered last year in Baku, then caught the eye of programmers at the Berlin festival, who have a reputation for choosing socially conscious works. It is set to play at festivals later this year in Belgrade, Istanbul and London, and it is under consideration for this summer's Moscow International Film Festival.

The film's threadbare, low-key nature did not garner favorable reviews in Berlin. The one reviewer who wrote about "Goodbye, Southern City" during the festival, Dan Fainaru of British film magazine Screen International, called it a "sincere but misguided elegy of urban innocence lost" that was "sadly insufficient," with "no solid storyline to fall back on."

Audiences, however, seemed more appreciative. The film's premiere screening at the CinemaxX cinema on Potsdamer Platz last Friday drew a full house of mostly German and Eastern European viewers. Viewer questions after the screening had to do with the film's jazz soundtrack and its outlook on the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Azeri jazz figures prominently in "Goodbye, Southern City." Its characters include a group of musicians who play a mix of classic jazz and mugam, a form of Azeri folk music. Members of the Gaya Quartet, a group of real-life Soviet-era jazz legends, play aging musicians who socialize regularly.

"Jazz is used in the film as a symbol of freedom and flights of fancy," Safaraliyev said at the screening. "I spent three years studying at a musical school in my childhood, and jazz has played a great role in my life. It should also be noted that Baku is one of the most musically rich cities in the world. It is the meeting place of Europe and Asia and, as such, is a city of Eurasian culture."

Still, the director stressed that the film was ultimately about a dark chapter in his country's history.

"One should also remember that the film takes place during the late 1980s, during the fall of Soviet Union," he said. "This was a major cataclysm which caused suffering for many people."

By Kirill Galetski

/The Moscow Times/