BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. More than 200,000
moviegoers have watched the feature film “Taghiyev”, produced by
Baku Media Center, in cinemas across Azerbaijan to date.
The film’s episodes — “Taghiyev: Oil”, “Taghiyev: Tsar”,
“Taghiyev: Sona” and “Taghiyev: School” — have attracted wide
interest in the country’s leading cinemas, becoming one of the most
popular Azerbaijani film projects. Cinemas have released official
statistics, declaring “Taghiyev” the “Most-watched Azerbaijani
film”.
The four-part film, which plays an important role in promoting
Azerbaijan’s history and national values, saw the release of its
first episode, “Taghiyev: Oil”, in 2024, marking the 100th
anniversary of the death of the prominent philanthropist. The
premiere of “Taghiyev: School” coincided with 2026, the year
marking the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the girls’
school that played a major role in advancing education and
enlightenment in Azerbaijan.
Overall, each episode of the film became a significant cultural
event and attracted a broad audience. Due to continued public
interest, screenings of the films are still being held in
cinemas.
The films have been presented at numerous events both in
Azerbaijan and abroad. In addition, “Taghiyev: Oil” was selected as
Azerbaijan’s official submission for the “Best International
Feature Film” category at the 98th Academy Awards (“Oscar”) and was
screened in Los Angeles, the center of the US film industry. In
2026, the film was presented to an international audience at the
Princess Anne Theatre of the British Academy of Film and Television
Arts (BAFTA) in London. At the “Dede Gorgud” Film Festival, lead
actor and People’s Artist Parviz Mammadrezayev won the main award
in the “Best Actor” category for his role in “Taghiyev: Oil”.
Meanwhile, the first episode of the film won the award in the
“Best Colour Graded Feature Film” category at the internationally
renowned Dehancer Colourist Awards 2024 festival.
The film explores major historical events that took place in
Baku and the region at the end of the 19th and beginning of the
20th centuries. Taghiyev’s life story is portrayed as a journey of
struggle and perseverance. Each new era brings him a new goal and a
new responsibility. He faces challenges but never steps back,
suffers setbacks but emerges stronger.
The film’s production scale has also made it one of the notable
projects in the history of Azerbaijani cinema. Filming took place
at 76 different locations, with nearly 2,500 creative professionals
participating in mass scenes. More than 300 sets were created for
the historical scenes. A special costume workshop was established
to accurately recreate Taghiyev’s era, producing numerous costumes,
accessories, jewelry pieces and specialized props.
The film’s executive producer is Arzu Aliyeva, producer is Orman
Aliyev, director is Zaur Gasimli, screenwriters are Ismayil Iman,
Asif Iskandarli and Zaur Gasimli, cinematographer is Vladimir
Artemyev, production designer is Sabuhi Atababayev, costume
designer is Vusal Rahim, composer is Etibar Asadli, and editor is
Asgar Rahimov.
By creating the film “Taghiyev” dedicated to the life story of
Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, Baku Media Center has made another
valuable contribution to Azerbaijan’s film industry.
Taghiyev Film Week is being held at CinemaPlus cinemas on the
occasion of Azerbaijan’s National Cinema Day. As part of the
marathon running until August 9, viewers have the opportunity to
watch four films dedicated to the life, struggles and rich legacy
of Azerbaijan’s great philanthropist and education advocate Haji
Zeynalabdin Taghiyev on the big screen once again.
