Moscow hosts creative evening of Azerbaijan's acclaimed film director

By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature has hosted a creative evening of the People's Artist of Azerbaijan, Honored Art Worker of Russia, film director, screenwriter and photo artist Tofig Shahverdiyev.

The evening was organized by the Russian office of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Azerbaijan Cultural Center and the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, Azernews reports.

Tofig Shahverdiyev is a member of the Russian Union of Artists, the Guild of Russian Film Directors, the International Guild of Professional Photographers. He is a laureate of many international prizes, including the Golden Eye Award.

The participants of the creative evening viewed a photo exhibition themed "Thousand-Faced Second", which will last until June 30.

A short films "Lagich", "Baku" and "Peaceful military music" were screened as part of the event.

Opening the evening, Director General of the Foreign Literature Library Pavel Kuzmin expressed gratitude for the cooperation of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan Cultural Center.

"When look through photos taken by Tofig Shahverdiyev, the words from a well-known song come to mind: Don't think about the seconds down, the time will come, you will understand, probably. They whistle like bullets at the temple: moments, moments, moments. Great happiness when a person can catch this moment. The ability to recognize your inner world in photographs is art. You understand that every person has a soul, feelings, emotions. This unites us. Thank you for your look, for your soul, which you revealed to us," said Pavel Kuzmin.

Head of Humanitarian Programs at the Russian representative office of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Tamilla Ahmadova thanked the Foreign Literature Library for its cooperation, noting that this joint work is a modest contribution to the great friendship between Russia and Azerbaijan.

"Photography was supposed to be the tenth muse on the Olympus of the Arts. It's not just an image on paper. This is our history. It was not for nothing that Einstein said: What a blessing that there is a photograph, because the moment that was yesterday is our door to the future. Tofig Rzakulievich masters this skill perfectly. He has a unique style and manner. You will have the opportunity to peer into his work and see what dynamics, what play of light. He has some extraordinary flair to catch the moment that we could pass by and not even notice. A talented person is talented in everything. In addition to photography, he brilliantly shoots films. I am pleased that today you will see three wonderful films - "Lagich", "Baku" and "Peaceful Military Music". The last film is especially relevant today. It tells that people in military uniform can speak not the language of weapons, but the language of notes," she said.

Director of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center Nisa Mustafayeva thanked the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and personally Vice-President Leyla Aliyeva for the full support of the projects of the cultural center.

"Tofig Shahverdiyev was brought to the cultural center by Tamilla Ahmadova, and she was the instigator of all the beauty that we see today. Today we have an acquaintance with a master, an artist. It seems to me that the words of William Thackeray about photography are ideally suited to creativity, to everything that Tofik Shahverdiev does: The art of photography is to make the familiar new, and the new familiar," said Nisa Mustafayeva.

"I have both Azerbaijani and Russian in me. Therefore, I shot the first two films in Azerbaijan, and the next ones in Russia," said Tofig Shahverdiyev.

He also thanked the organizers and guests of the evening for their interest in his work.