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Laman Ismayilova

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During the Soviet era, alongside Indian films, Vietnamese films were also widely watched in Azerbaijan. Naturally, the primary reason for this interest stemmed from the love for the Vietnamese people's struggle for independence. However, many are unaware that it was an Azerbaijani film director, People's Artist of the USSR, Ejder Ibrahimov, who laid the foundations of cinema in Vietnam. So, how did this happen?

In 1958, Ejder Ibrahimov directed the film "His Great Heart" based on a script by Imran Gasanov. The film was about Sumgayit and the massive construction projects taking place there. The plot encompassed the Great Patriotic War and the periods before and after it. In this film, the director himself played the role of Rasulov. After watching the film, Vietnamese cultural figures, in their appeal to the relevant authorities of the Soviet Union, requested that the director be sent to Vietnam to help establish Vietnamese cinema.

From 1959 to 1962, at the invitation of Ho Chi Minh, the founder of modern Vietnam, and with the recommendation of the Soviet government, Ejder Ibrahimov lived in Vietnam. As a result of his productive work, the Vietnamese film school was established, three films were produced, and several books about Vietnam were written and published.

Ejder Ibrahimov traveled through most of Vietnam's regions, studying the people and their customs, and recruited children for the cinema school. Thousands of Vietnamese applied to the film school opened in Hanoi. After a selection process, 53 students were admitted. Upon completion of their education, all of them received diplomas, becoming Vietnam's first professional actors and directors. Thus, between 1959 and 1962, with the leadership and participation of the Azerbaijani film director, the first national film school in Vietnam was created, and national actors and directors were trained. Under Ibrahimov's artistic direction, the films "Two Soldiers," "The Greedy Bird," and "On an Autumn Day" were produced. This marked the creation of Vietnam's own cinema.

After returning to Baku, Ejder Ibrahimov wrote books such as "What I Saw in Vietnam" (1964), "The Sun Cries"(1971), "The Cinema Art of Fighting Vietnam" (1968), and "The Girl from the Tai Tribe" (1970).

It is no coincidence that Ejder Ibrahimov's role is always remembered in the affection the Vietnamese people have for Azerbaijan. His book "What I Saw in Vietnam" has been translated into Vietnamese, with the initiative of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Vietnam and the support of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora. The book will soon be presented in a special ceremony.