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.
