Landmark Azerbaijani feature film "44" makes its premiere
Baku, October 13, AZERTAC
The feature film "44," honoring the heroism of the Azerbaijani people during the 44-day Patriotic War, instilling patriotic values in the younger generation, and preserving national historical memory, premiered at the Heydar Aliyev Center on October 12.
Arzu Aliyeva, Head of the Baku Media Center, and Alena Aliyeva, attended the film's presentation ceremony.
Prior to the event, the cherished memory of the martyrs was honored with a minute of silence.
Following the minute of silence, the audience listened to the soundtrack of the film “44,” performed live by the Symphony Orchestra of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater and the Azerbaijan State Choir Capella. Accompanied by a musical performance, a documentary chronicle screened during the event highlighted the country’s historic journey to Victory, featuring archival footage of the struggle for territorial integrity, the policy of National Leader Heydar Aliyev aimed at liberation of the territories and its successful implementation under President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev.
The event proceeded with a promotional video detailing the filmmaking process and production figures of “44,”' followed by the screening of the feature film.
The film, presented through the eyes of a cadet, is a heroic and romantic drama, capturing the unyielding spirit, resolve, and sacrifice of a generation that stood up in defense of the Motherland through the story of the Special Forces. The film’s narrative centers on Special Forces officer Rashad Khalilov, Turkish orthopedic doctor Zeynep Ozdemir practicing in Azerbaijan, and special operations group commander Colonel Ramazan Karimov.
The film “44” is more than a chronicle of war; it is the story of the Azerbaijani people, whose hearts beat with love for the Motherland, a nation that never lost hope and fought selflessly to the end for the liberation of its territories. The feature film serves as an artistic tribute to the historical Victory achieved through the iron fist of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the unity of the people, and the heroism of the nation's brave sons.
Produced with the support of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture, the Cinema Agency of Azerbaijan (ARKA), and the Baku Media Center, the feature film “44” is as one of the country's largest cinematic projects in recent years in terms of production scale, technical resources, crew size, filming locations, and international collaboration.
The film’s artistic director is Anar Alakbarov, with Ismail Safarali and Maksim Smetana serving as directors. The screenwriters are Anar Alakbarov and Ismail Iman, with Orman Aliyev as producer, Oleksandr Pozdnyakov as cinematographer, Elshad Rahimov as editor, Ruslan Aghababayev as composer, and Teymur Karimov as sound director.
The production of the feature film encompassed a five-year process, beginning with two years for writing the feature and director's scripts, followed by one year of pre-production preparations, 14 months of filming, and a final year dedicated to post-production. The core creative team, cast, and administrative personnel comprised a total of 455 people.
The scale of the production involved 2,500 servicemen, 42 Special Forces soldiers, 32 lead actors, and 1,143 supporting cast members, supported by up to 2,000 personnel involved in large-scale crowd scenes. Several participants of the Patriotic War were also among the film’s cast.
Along with Azerbaijani actors, famous Turkish actress Özge Gürel also starred in the film. Prior the shooting, the cast underwent military and tactical training at the training base of the Special Forces. All arms and branches of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces participated in the production.
Filming took place across Baku, Absheron, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Goranboy, Ganja, Khojaly, Khojavand, Khizi, Lerik, and Shusha, covering a total of more than 130 distinct locations.
Over 150 pieces of military equipment, aviation assets, motor vehicles, weapons, and specialized equipment were utilized in the film’s production, which also involved tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, multiple launch rocket systems, artillery, combat helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, engineering equipment, and armored vehicles, as well as small arms, machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, anti-tank guided missile systems, and mortars. To realistically recreate large-scale battle scenes, 300,000 rounds of blank and live ammunition of various types were used alongside hundreds of practice munitions, extensive pyrotechnics, smoke effects, explosives, and specialized stunt equipment.
The editing process of 112 hours of footage spanned one year, producing a feature film runtime of 2 hours and 38 minutes.
The realization of the project involved international specialists from 13 countries at various stages of production. Experts from the United States, Germany, Austria, Belarus, the United Kingdom, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Estonia contributed across stunt coordination, pyrotechnics, on-set audio recording, cinematography support, makeup, music recording, sound design and mixing, visual effects, color grading, post-production processing, and technical equipment logistics for the premiere.
The film's computer graphics and visual effects were produced in collaboration with Ukrainian experts at Estonia's “UMP” studio, which specializes in 3D graphics, computer animation, and visual effects, with no artificial intelligence products utilized during the production.
The film's post-production phase, including color grading, digital image processing, and mastering, was executed at Poland's Dolby Vision-certified “FixaFilm” studio, a recognized leader in the field."
To ensure full accessibility, the production incorporated advanced technologies to create an audio-described version of the film tailored specifically for visually impaired audiences.
For the film's premiere, a modern specialized projection screen was purchased from the German-Austrian joint company “Lang AG,” and a high-tech cinema projector supporting movie screening in DCP format was rented from the German company “BIG cinema.” This technology was used in Azerbaijan for the first time for the high-quality presentation of a feature film on such a scale. The screening also featured advanced systems ensuring high sound quality.
Following the film presentation, families of martyrs, veterans of the Second Garabagh War, and members of the creative and technical crew were invited onto the stage to deliver speeches.
To promote the feature film “44” globally, screenings in foreign countries and submissions to international film festivals are planned in the near future.
The film will be screened in cinemas across Azerbaijan starting October 15.
Other news in this section
