In Front of a Closed Door

Latif

November 1930 •Russian

Latif a seven year old boy living during the collectivization policy in USSR.

Asif, Vasif, Ağasif

January 1983 •Azerbaijani

A funny adventures of three little brothers.

I Loved You More than Life

December 1985 •Azerbaijani

Biopic about general Hazi Aslanov, who died fighting Germans in WW2.

The Scoundrel

May 1988 •Azerbaijani

Film exposes the corruption and the decadence of the late Soviet bureaucracy in Azerbaijan SSR through the eyes of a naive Azerbaijani adult man, Hatem.

Caucasia

August 2007 •Russian

After her husband's death, a widow returns to Moscow with her mother-in-law, unaware that a depressed passenger is determined to blow up the train en route

The Meeting

December 1955 •Azerbaijani

The film is about Azerbaijanian and Uzbekistan's cotton-growers contest and about two young people's love.

Arshin Takes a Wife

October 1945 •Azerbaijani

Set in Baku at the turn of the 20th century, a young successful businessman Asgar wishes to marry. He wants his bride to be the choice of his heart, however, Azerbaijani tradition restricted him from communicating with the lady as a lover before marriage. So Asgar decides to disguise himself as a mere cloth peddler and the young woman Gulchohra falls in love with him.

The Bat

January 1995 •Azerbaijani

In a Azerbaijan, in the beginning of this century, the first films made in the history of cinema are shown.The characters meet each other in a room. Three characters who will witness the linking up of their destinies through their common love for this new captivating art.

In a Southern Town

January 1969 •Azerbaijani

Murad, a young man, lives by the old ethical norms that are still valid in the suburbs of his city. He had promised Tofig, his childhood friend, to give him his sister as a wife, but Tofig is in love with another girl. He forgets the promise and takes the girl home. Murad is offended. According to the code of honor, he must take revenge. One of the first films ever produced in the Soviet Union to challenge the sociopolitical establishment.

Two Boys from the Same District

February 1957 •Azerbaijani

Tahmina

May 1993 •Azerbaijani

This Azerbaijani romantic drama depicts the love affair between Zaur, a man from an affluent family, and Tahmina, a divorced woman doing her best to survive in a conservative society.

Another Life

February 1987 •Azerbaijani

Psychological drama about a university dean who leads a double life.

The Last Mountain Pass

July 1971 •Azerbaijani

Based on a novel by Farman Karimzade, the movie shows the life in an Azerbaijani village under the Soviet rule in 1930s. Here two former "beys" (land owners) are opposing each other. One is loyal to the ideology of the past and can't reconcile himself to the new power, to second rejects the past and accepts the power of the Bolsheviks, believing that it will establish justice.

Interrogation

February 1979 •Azerbaijani

The investigator Seyfi Ganiyev runs the case of an illegal mercery shop's head Murad Abiyev, who confessed in embezzlement of one million rubles from public funds. Abiyev is also accused of the murder of an underage girls that occurred in Riga shortly after Abiyev saw her. He denies his guilt, but does not name the perpetrators though he knows them, despite the fact that he is facing the death penalty. The investigator understands that some high-ranking officials stand behind Abiyev, but he has no proof. Ganiyev seeks to obtain from the prisoner the whole truth to bring the criminals to justice.

On Distant Shores

August 1958 •Azerbaijani

The film portrays the life of the legendary Azerbaijani guerrilla of the Second World War Mehdi Huseynzadeh, who fought the Nazi forces in the present-day Italy and Slovenia, hence the film's name On distant shores referring to the Adriatic Sea.

Beast

January 1994 •Azerbaijani

The movie tells about the tragedy of miserable people who turned to dogs. A group of people who desperately seeks for a job is abducted and forced to labor like slaves.

The Labour and Rose

December 1962 •Azerbaijani

The film is about famous Chechen ballet and folk dancer Mahmud Essembayev's life.

Matteo Falcone

January 1960 •Azerbaijani

Matteo Falcone is an Azerbaijani short drama film based on Prosper Merimée's like-named story from 1829. Matteo Falcone is a successful Corsican, who lives with his wife Giuseppa and 10-year-old son Fortunato. One day he leaves home with Giuseppa, leaving Fortunato alone.

If Not This, Then That

December 1956 •Azerbaijani

Popularly known by the name of the main character, "Mashadi Ibad" was based on a musical comedy by composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov and written in the early 1900s. The story is based on the age old-theme of a beautiful young woman Gulnaz who falls in love with a young man Sarvar but is obliged to marry someone else.

From Two Worlds as a Keepsake

January 2012 •English

In Soviet Azerbaijan, a divorced Armenian couple fights over the custody of their daughter, Ashen. Stolen from one parent to another, Ashen's guardians are tragically killed in the bloody war surrounding them. Will the arrival of a new savior finally bring Ashen freedom? Official selection of the Global Lens Collection presented by the Global Film Initiative.