"Baku, I love you" film presented in Baku

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku opened its doors for premiere of the film “Baku, I love you”, supported by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, prominent public figures, artists, intellectuals, diplomats and foreign guests attended the event.

The project is similar to the “Paris, I love you”, “New York, I love you” and “Moscow, I love you” films popular elsewhere around the world.

The film, glorifying the capital, and the people living here, will awaken the desire of the audience around the world to see this ancient and modern city.

Preparations were launched in November 2011 and shooting begin in March 2012. The filming consisted of two sessions. During the spring and summer session (March-April and June-July), five films were shot. The crew consisted of 138 people. During crowd scenes, the project involved over 150 actors.

The film’s directors are Russia’s Yegor Konchalovsky, Nadir Machanov, Aleksey Golubev, Andrey Razenkov, as well as Alexander Fodor from the UK, Andre Badalo of Spain and Azerbaijanis Nargiz Bagirzade, Ilgar Safat, Samir Kerimoglu and Yavar Rzayev.

“Baku, I love you.” With these words Konchalovsky addressed the event, expressing appreciation to First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and Leyla Aliyeva for the realization of such a big film project.

“I also express my sincere gratitude to Baku and Bakunians, and all Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan and the entire project’s creative team. After working on the project for more than a year, I can say with certainty how much I am fascinated and in love with this city. Baku is a great city which harmoniously intertwines two realities: history, traditions, the depth of the centuries and incredibly modern megalopolis,” he said.

The film’s producer also said the country, which hosted major events including “Eurovision 2012” and the First European Games Baku 2015, amazes with its beauty and its people even more.

“Every time, while coming to your beautiful city, I cannot recognize it, as it rapidly transforms. During the period we lived here, we not only worked, but had a chance to know more about your wonderful country. Therefore, we are honored that the presentation of the project and the beginning of its life is taking place within the walls of this magnificent place--the Heydar Aliyev Center,” Konchalovsky noted.

British film director Alexander Fodor, sharing his impressions of the film, said he was happy to be in Baku, and stressed that this project is of particular importance to him. "I am willing to continue shooting movies in Baku," he said.

The project consists of 10 nine-minute short stories: "Asia," "Meeting," "Artist," "Court," "Bahram Gur," "Caspian Atlantis," "Lottery ticket," "On love," "Aysel" and "Event".

Each story reflects different moments of Baku’s life. In each short film, the relationship between people, their love and longing, happy and sad moments come to life.

And the main hero, uniting these people, their relationships, and different moments of life is Baku.

Along with Azerbaijani actors Rasim Balayev, Mabud Maharramov, Lalazar Mustafayeva, Shamil Suleymanli, Bahram Baghirzade, Ayshad Mammadov, Sanuber Isgandarli, famous actors invited from Turkey, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Uzbekistan are starring in the films.