Film-Makers Union focuses on enhancing visibility of local cinema

Increasing the number of viewers for local films is one of the strategic goals of the Azerbaijan Film-Makers Union, Azernews reports.

To achieve this, screenings of both new and classic Azerbaijani films are being organized.

In order to introduce regional audiences to new Azerbaijani films, the Union is holding a series of events.

In previous years, screenings were organized in Lankaran, Bilasuvar, and Lerik districts under the title of "Southern Cinema Days."

In July of this year, the "Shirvan Cinema Days" project took place.

Continuing this tradition, the Azerbaijan Film-Makers Union will hold screenings of modern films in Mughan in October of this year.

Generally, the screenings will feature films produced by independent filmmakers as well as films made on state commission.

The names, dates, and times of the films that will be shown in Beylagan, Imishli, Sabirabad, and Saatli will be announced in the coming days.

Founded in 2012, the Azerbaijan Film-Makers Union (AUF) focuses on the development of local cinema as an integral part of national culture and world cinema.

Azerbaijani cinema has come to be an internationally recognized modern art, enjoying huge popularity and recognition at international film festivals, which frequently award the national films.

Over the past years, more than 300 films and 1,200 documentaries, as well as hundreds of cartoons, were filmed.

The Azerbaijan Union of Film-makers is a member of the Confederation of Unions of Cinematographers of the CIS and Baltic States.

The history of the film industry in Azerbaijan spans over 100 years.

Over this time, the local film companies have produced hundreds of films...

Following the Lumiere brothers' invention of the cinematograph in 1895, Russian photographer and cameraman Alexandre Michon began filming motion pictures showcasing daily life in Baku.

The first silent short film of the Azerbaijani cinematography titled "You are caught", premiered in Baku in August 1898, marked the birth of Azerbaijani cinema.

At the beginning of the last century, foreign film companies such as Pathé, the Pirone Brothers Society, and Film opened their branches in Baku and began producing films.

In 1916, a short film called "In the Kingdom of Oil and Millions" was shot based on the novel of the same name by writer Ibrahimbek Musabayov, and in 1917, "The Cloth Peddler" was produced based on the operetta by Uzeyir Hajibayli.

After the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan in 1923, the Azerbaijan Photo and Film Administration (APFA).

The first state film factory started operating on April 28 of the same year. The first film shot here was the feature film "Maiden Tower", based on a folk legend.

Today, local film companies are producing dozens of films that have gained international acclaim. The film production industry in the country is rapidly expanding, making it possible for a multitude of filmmakers to express themselves in different ways.