August 2 - National Cinema Day of Azerbaijan

On August 2, the Day of National Cinema is celebrated in Azerbaijan.

As BAKU.WS reminds, it appeared in the calendar of official holidays of the country relatively recently, after national leader Heydar Aliyev, on December 18, 2000, "taking into account the contributions of Azerbaijan's cultural figures to the development of national cinematography," signed a decree "On the Establishment of the Day of National Cinema."

The history of Azerbaijani cinematography begins in 1898. The first films were shot by photographer and writer Alexander Mishon and consisted of artistic film subjects: Bibiheybətdə neft fontanı yanğını ("Fire at an Oil Fountain in Bibiheybat"), Balaxanıda neft fontanı ("Oil Fountain at the Balakhany Field"), Şəhər bağında xalq gəzintisi ("Public Stroll in the City Garden"), Qafqaz rəqsi ("Caucasian Dance"), and others.

The film subject titled Canlı fotoşəkillər ("Living Photographs") was demonstrated with great success at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

In 2001, copies of the film subjects "Fire at an Oil Fountain in Bibiheybat" and "Oil Fountain at the Balakhany Field" were brought to Baku and are currently stored in the State Film Fund of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's first feature-length film Neft və milyonlar səltənətində "In the Realm of Oil and Millions" was produced by director Boris Svetlov in 1916. The film was based on the novella of the same name by writer Ibrahim-bek Musabekov and produced by the joint-stock company Filma. The social cinema drama depicted on screen the life of oil-scented Baku at the beginning of the 20th century, the lifestyle of Baku's Muslim millionaires, and the hard life of workers toiling under the most difficult conditions at the oil fields for a piece of bread.

The film "In the Realm of Oil and Millions" consisted of two parts: the first was produced on May 14, 1916, and the second on May 27, 1916. One of the leading roles in the film was played by one of the founders of professional theatrical art in Azerbaijan, the renowned actor and director Huseyn Arablinsky