Cinema of Azerbaijan dates back to the 19th century. Azerbaijan is one of the first countries in the world involved in cinematography.[4] The first Azerbaijani film was a thirty second long silent film called The Oil Gush Fire in Bibiheybat, which was recorded using the cinematograph.
The film industry in Azerbaijan dates back to 1898. When the Lumière brothers of France premiered their first motion picture footage in Paris on December 28, 1895, they did not know how rapidly it would ignite a new age of photographic documentation. The brothers invented an apparatus, patented in February 1895, which they called the "Cinématographe" (from which the word "cinematography" is derived).[4]
A Frenchman by the name of Alexandre Michon was among the first entrepreneurs who came and settled in Baku. A photographer and cameraman by profession, he is believed to have lived in Baku for more than 25 years where he set up a photo studio. Michon became active in forming a scientific photo circle in Baku and became its secretary. From 1879 to 1905, he documented landscapes, episodes from oil extraction, the refining process, as well as the oil gushers and terrifying fires that broke out in the oil fields. In 1898, Michon began shooting motion pictures that depicted everyday life in Baku. It was his intention to exhibit them in Paris.
Michon's footages still exist up to date in the archives of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan. The Folk Dance of Caucasus was later used in a documentary, and the scenes from The Oil Gush Fire in Bibiheybat were shown in France in 1995, in a film commemorating the 100th anniversary of world cinema.
The Newspaper Announcement about Michon's films:
"On Sunday, August 2, 1898, A. Michon, will show some motion pictures that he has taken with a Lumière movie camera and which has been improved by the engineer Jules Carpentier. These films of the Caucasus and Central Asia have been prepared for the forthcoming International Paris Exhibition and will be presented only once in Baku at the V. I. Vasilyev-Vyatski Circus Theater.
"The following films will be shown: Fire resulting from an oil gusher at Bibi-Heybat oil field, Farewell Ceremony for His Majesty Emir of Bukhara on "Velikiy Kniaz Alexei" Steamboat, a folk dance of the Caucasus, and scenes from the comedy, 'So, You Got Caught,' which was performed recently in one of Baku's parks. For more detailed information, see the posters. The event starts at 21:00 (9 p.m.)."
The event was an enormous success and Michon repeated it on August 5, replacing the final two works with those showing life in Balakhani outside of Baku.
Michon's footage still exists. "Folk Dance of the Caucasus" was later used in a documentary and scenes from "Oil Gush Fire in Bibi-Heybat" were shown in France in 1995, in a film commemorating the 100th anniversary of world cinema. On November 27, 1899 writer, scientist and social activist Hasan Zardabi in the "Kaspi" entitled an article in which he wrote, "Now we have in our hands a toy machine-called "kinemato-graphe". This wonderful machine was produced only a short time ago and gives the impression of being just a toy. You can find this machine which is called 'stroboscope' in many optician shops."
In 1916 The first version of the operetta "Arshin Mal Alan" was directed by Svetlov. During this era of "silent" film the musical selections were performed by in-house musicians. Two of the women's roles in the film were played by men. Gulchohra was played by Ahmad Aghdamski and Aunt Jahan was played by Y. Narimanov.
In 1923 the Azerbaijan Photo Film Institution (APFI) was established by a special decree of the Council of People's Commissars. The Institution controlled all the movie houses and distribution bureaus. Thus, a new epoch in the history of Azerbaijani cinema began – a period when Soviet ideology, not individual entrepreneurship, dominated the film industry.
In the 1930s, Russian director Boris Barnet filmed By the Bluest of Seas in Azerbaijan. The film, which is set on one of the country's islands in the Caspian Sea, has received renown from modern film critics.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Now that the USSR does not exist anymore, Azerbaijani filmmakers are again dealing with issues similar to those faced by cinematographers prior to the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1920. Once again, both choice of content and sponsorship of films are largely left up to the initiative of the filmmaker.
In 1995, the director Rustam Ibrahimbeyov won an Academy Award for Burnt by the Sun as Best Foreign Film. This moment is described as one of the proudest event in Azerbaijan cinema history.[14]
The first film studio in Baku established in the 1920s. The location of the studio was behind the Government Building in Baku. The building no longer exists.
^Prof. Nicole Brenez (November 19, 2008). Nicole Brenez on By the Bluest of Seas (video) (in French). Also Like Life. Event occurs at 0:30. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
Michael G. Smith, "Cinema for the Soviet East: National Fact and Revolutionary Fiction in Early Azerbaijani Film", Slavic Review Vol. 56 No. 4 (Winter 1997), pp. 645–678.
