'Mahmud and Maryam' premier took place in Baku

By AzerNews

The premiere of the film "Mahmud and Maryam" based on the novel by popular Azerbaijani writer Elchin Afandiyev was held at the Nizami cinema in Baku on September 26.

Prominent public figures, men of culture and art watched the premiere.

Afandiyev, People's Writer of Azerbaijan, said that the premiere of the film was held in Turkey in March.

Afandiyev noted that the work the movie is based on was written 35 years ago. He also said that today, the result of four years' work was presented to the Azerbaijani audience.

Afandiyev welcomed the fact that the novel has maintained importance and is of interest for the audience. The other important point is that this is the first collaboration of Azerbaijani and Turkish filmmakers.

Speaking at the presentation, director of Azerbaijanfilm studio Mushvig Hatamov said that the difference of the film from other works is its being the first collaboration of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Hatamov also introduced the creative group of "Mahmud and Maryam" to the guests.

The film producer, Sevda Kaygisiz, expressed her gratitude to the whole team.

Fakhraddin Manafov, who played the role of Ziyad Khan, Mahmud`s father, describing the collaboration with Turkish colleagues, said that working with them is of great interest.

"They are professionals, and coming to the set, they understand where they have come and why they are there," Manafov said. According to him, Aras Bulut Iynemli, the performer of Mahmud, played the role so naturally as if he personally lived through all the described events.

Famous Azerbaijani actress Malahat Abbasova, who was the chief consultant of the project and performer of the governor`s wife, Gamarbanu, regarded the premiere of "Mahmud and Maryam" as a very happy day in her life.

She said a successful premiere of the film took place in Turkey earlier, and finally, the result of the four years of work was now presented to the Azerbaijani viewers.

"I have tried to do my best in order for the project to be implemented at the highest level," she said.

The film is due to be screened in other countries as well.

"Mahmud and Maryam" was filmed at the Azerbaijani film studio Salname and the Turkish 24 Kare. The film was directed by Mehmet Ada Oztekin. The composer is Azerbaijani honorary art worker Aygun Samadzade.

The movie also stars Azerbaijani Honorary Artist Shamil Suleymanov, Mehmet Cevik, Eva Dedova and many others.

Though "Mahmud and Maryam" was the first work of Elchin Afandiyev in the novel genre, it gained wide acclaim. The novel was published in the late 1980s. "Mahmud and Maryam" was written based on the content of the "Asli and Karam" epic.

The story is about the impossible love of King Ziyad Khan's son, a Muslim, and the daughter of a Christian priest. The film features strong inter-religious clashes, anger and love, high emotions, etc. The feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are stressed at the same time.

The "Mahmud and Maryam" novel, translated into many languages of the world and included in the golden fund of modern prose, was perhaps the first most read and cherished creation in Turkey at the end of the 20th century. It was first published in 1992 and by three more publishing houses later.