The International Film School was established by the Union of Filmmakers of Azerbaijan in 2007 on the basis of the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated February 23, 2007, No. 1993 “On the Development of Cinematography in Azerbaijan” and the corresponding decision of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The purpose of establishing the Film School was to increase young people’s interest in cinematography, to identify talents, and to train new highly professional personnel in the field of cinematography.

Students studied in five departments: “Film Directing”, “Screenwriting”, “Producing”, “Film Studies”, “Acting”, “Animation and Multimedia”.

As part of the educational process, trainings were periodically organized in cooperation with international professional organizations and world-famous figures of cinema.

Thus, in 2008 the Union of Filmmakers of Azerbaijan, together with the Association of Independent Filmmakers of the South Caucasus (IFA-SC), held trainings for students of the Film School dedicated to the improvement of documentary cinema and the development of feature film projects in the South Caucasus.

Master classes for students were conducted by: director, screenwriter and producer Krzysztof Zanussi (Poland), director, screenwriter, producer and actor Jan Sverak (Czech Republic), documentary filmmaker Georgy Khaindrava (Georgia), screenwriter Pavel Finn, director and screenwriter Gleb Panfilov, theatre and film actress Inna Churikova, film scholar, cultural critic Kirill Razlogov, journalist, film critic and translator Elena Razlogova, director, producer and screenwriter Vitaly Kanevsky (France), Columbia University professor and documentary filmmaker Peggy Weil (USA), instructors from Los Angeles film schools and other well-known filmmakers.

The International Film School under the Union of Filmmakers of Azerbaijan initiated a number of projects aimed at the development of Azerbaijani cinematography. One of them was “Baku, I Love You”, within which films were produced jointly with film studios.

Among the graduates of the International Film School are film director and screenwriter Nargiz Bagirzade, screenwriters Irada Bagirzade, Sabina Guseynli, Esmira Mamedova, film directors Javid Tevekkul, Fariz Ahmedov, Elmeddin Aliyev, Khayyam Abdullaev, Gyulchin Akhundlu, Ali Gasanov, Elchin Asadov, Eldar Ismayilov, Murad Muradov, Gyunel Najafzade, Kyamala Rzayeva, director and animator Gyulchin Ozer, actor Zaur Shafiyev, film producer Alekper Imanov.

The works of the Film School’s graduates have been awarded prizes at international film festivals.

In accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 1993 dated February 23, 2007, the Board of the Union of Filmmakers of Azerbaijan decided to resume the activities of the Film School.

The Artistic Director of the Film School is Rustam Ibragimbekov. The Director of the school is film director Oleg Safaraliyev.

Training is carried out in three specialties:

• Screenwriting

• Film and Television Directing

• Animation Film Director-Artist

25 students who passed the creative competition were admitted to the Film School.

Classes in Azerbaijani are held full-time and free of charge. The duration of study is two years.

Along with lectures on screenwriting and directing, the Film School regularly holds educational screenings of classic foreign and domestic films.

On October 20–22, 2019, the Film School hosted master classes by the well-known Soviet and Russian screenwriter, head of a workshop at the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors, Pavel Finn.

On January 21–23, 2020, master classes were held by the well-known Soviet and Uzbek director Ali Khamraev. After the lecture, students of the Film School with great interest watched the director’s film Bo-Ba-Bu, created with the participation of Italian filmmakers.

The next day, at the House of Cinema, the premiere of Ali Khamraev’s documentary film I Did Not Forget You took place, dedicated to the memory of his father, the well-known Uzbek actor and screenwriter Ergash Khamraev.

OUR CONTACTS
Address: Baku, Hasan Seyidbeyli Street, 18
Phone: (+99412) 497 19 10
E-mail: [email protected]