BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 30. Vietnamese films,
along with Indian films, had been also watched with interest in
Azerbaijan in Soviet times. Of course, the first reason for this
was love for the struggle of the Vietnamese people for the
establishment of an independent state. However, many people don't
know that the foundation of cinematography in Vietnam was laid by
the Azerbaijani film director, People's Artist of the USSR, Ajdar
Ibrahimov, but how did this event happen?


In 1958, Ibrahimov shot the film "His big heart" based on the
script by Imran Gasimov. The film was about Sumgayit, about the
huge construction work taking place there. The plot covered World
War II, the periods before and after it. The director himself
starred in the role of Rasulov. Vietnamese cultural figures who
watched this film appealed to the relevant bodies of the Soviet
Union, asking to send the director to their country to help shape
Vietnamese cinema.


Ibrahimov lived in Vietnam from 1959 through 1962 at the
invitation of Ho Chi Minh, the founder of modern Vietnam, and at
the suggestion of the USSR government. As a result of his fruitful
activities, a Vietnamese film school was established, three films
were shot, and several books about Vietnam were written and
published.


Ibrahimov traveled to most regions of Vietnam, studied its
people and their customs and traditions, and recruited children for
a film school.







Thousands of Vietnamese people applied to the film school opened
in Hanoi, and 53 students were accepted to this school through a
selection process. After their education, all of them were awarded
diplomas - the first professional film actors and directors of
Vietnam. Thus, from 1959 through 1962, the creation of the first
national film school in Vietnam, the training of national actors
and directors took place under the leadership and participation of
Azerbaijani film directors. Under the artistic direction of
Ibrahimov, the films "Two soldiers", "The greedy bird", and "On an
autumn day" were shot. Vietnam's own cinema was already being
created.


After returning to Baku, Ibrahimov wrote the books "What I saw
in Vietnam" (1964), "The Sun is Crying" (1971), "The Cinematic art
of the fighting Vietnam" (1968), and "A girl from the Thai tribe"
(1970).


It's no coincidence that Ibrahimov's role in the love of the
Vietnamese people for Azerbaijan is always remembered. The
director's book "What I Saw in Vietnam" was translated into
Vietnamese with the initiative of the Azerbaijani Embassy in
Vietnam and the support of the State Committee for Work with the
Diaspora, and a presentation ceremony will be held in the near
future.