I Want to Understand (1980)

Interrogation

The investigator Seyfi Ganiyev runs the case of an illegal mercery shop's head Murad Abiyev, who confessed in embezzlement of one million rubles from public funds. Abiyev is also accused of the murder of an underage girls that occurred in Riga shortly after Abiyev saw her. He denies his guilt, but does not name the perpetrators though he knows them, despite the fact that he is facing the death penalty. The investigator understands that some high-ranking officials stand behind Abiyev, but he has no proof. Ganiyev seeks to obtain from the prisoner the whole truth to bring the criminals to justice.

I Loved You More than Life

Biopic about general Hazi Aslanov, who died fighting Germans in WW2.

Pomegranate Orchard

Inspired by Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, the film follows a prodigal son who returns after 12 years. His reappearance at the family home in rural Azerbaijan significantly alters their way of life.

Tahmina

This Azerbaijani romantic drama depicts the love affair between Zaur, a man from an affluent family, and Tahmina, a divorced woman doing her best to survive in a conservative society.

Another Life

Psychological drama about a university dean who leads a double life.

The Last Mountain Pass

Based on a novel by Farman Karimzade, the movie shows the life in an Azerbaijani village under the Soviet rule in 1930s. Here two former "beys" (land owners) are opposing each other. One is loyal to the ideology of the past and can't reconcile himself to the new power, to second rejects the past and accepts the power of the Bolsheviks, believing that it will establish justice.

On Distant Shores

The film portrays the life of the legendary Azerbaijani guerrilla of the Second World War Mehdi Huseynzadeh, who fought the Nazi forces in the present-day Italy and Slovenia, hence the film's name On distant shores referring to the Adriatic Sea.

The Labour and Rose

The film is about famous Chechen ballet and folk dancer Mahmud Essembayev's life.

The Cloth Peddler

Set in Baku at the turn of the 20th century, a young successful businessman Asgar wishes to marry. He wants his bride to be the choice of his heart, however, Azerbaijani tradition restricted him from communicating with the lady as a lover before marriage. So Asgar decides to disguise himself as a mere cloth peddler and the young woman Gulchohra falls in love with him.

Arshin Takes a Wife

Set in Baku at the turn of the 20th century, a young successful businessman Asgar wishes to marry. He wants his bride to be the choice of his heart, however, Azerbaijani tradition restricted him from communicating with the lady as a lover before marriage. So Asgar decides to disguise himself as a mere cloth peddler and the young woman Gulchohra falls in love with him.

Nabat

The story is set during an upsurge in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and revolves around an old, sick ex-forestry worker and his wife Nabat, whose son has died in battle.

The Devil under the Windshield

A journalist is investigating a group of poachers who are illegally selling the huge amounts of fish

Oh, Heart... Heart

Plot unavailable

Sevil

The film takes place in Baku in 1918-19 and then several years later. The film is based on the opera of the same name by Fikret Amirov. Sevil became the first film opera in the history of Azerbaijani cinema.

Sound of the Pipe

The novelette was written by I.Huseynov. In the film, the problem of war is viewed from the perspective of love. Almost all of the men of the village are at the battlefront. The women who stayed in the night and day to support their efforts. Children wake up in the middle of the night, crying for bread. All of the villagers feel anxious for the men to return. Mothers are waiting for their sons; wives, for their husbands and children, for their fathers. When Sayali's husband dies at the front, her husband's friend Jabrayil proposes to her. The people of the village are furious. Jabrayil's brothers leave home, convinced that their family has been disgraced. One brother goesw crazy; the other fall ill and dies. The only person who doesn't blame Jabrayil is the "agsaggal" (the wise old man) of the village - Isfandiyar Kishi. In this film, note single sound of weaponry is heard, not are any battle scenes depicted, yet we still witness the inherent tragedy of war.

The Dream

A young man tells the dream he had about running away with the daughter of chief of police to his grandma. People spread and exaggerate rumors as if it was a real story until it reaches to the chief himself.

The Tempestuous Kura

After the novel of the same name of I.Shykhly. The film is about new intelligenzia in Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 20th century.

Clouds are Our Umbrellas

Plot unavailable

Say You Love Me

Plot unavailable

In a Southern Town

Murad, a young man, lives by the old ethical norms that are still valid in the suburbs of his city. He had promised Tofig, his childhood friend, to give him his sister as a wife, but Tofig is in love with another girl. He forgets the promise and takes the girl home. Murad is offended. According to the code of honor, he must take revenge. One of the first films ever produced in the Soviet Union to challenge the sociopolitical establishment.

The Day after Tomorrow at Midnight

After the novel of the same name of M. Avdiyev and A. Donets. The film is about first operations of National State Security.

Additional Trace

Plot unavailable

Good Bye, Southern City

The film takes place in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku at the end of the 1980s. At this time, the Soviet Union was starting to fall apart, and with this came the start of a number of ethnic conflicts. Fariz and his family move into a Baku apartment block from war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh. Fariz's relations with his new neighbors are strained by his accusations that it was people like them who failed to support the Azeris in their conflict with ethnic Armenians. The only one who stands up to him is Alik, who acts as peacemaker between him and the older inhabitants of the building. Alik has no reservations about brandishing his gun in order to keep the peace. One day, the apartment managers want to evict a number of musicians who have been squatting in the basement. Alik gets involved, but soon discovers the situation is more complicated that he first believed.

Fatali Khan

Plot unavailable

Stepmother

The film is about the stepmother who tried to be a real mother of a boy. But she could be a real mother only after some difficult events for her and child.

Maiden Tower Legend

The plot of the film is taken from the legend of the Azerbaijan Maiden Tower. According to legend shirvanshah fell in love with his daughter and wanted to marry her. Learning of this daughter Shirvanshah jumped from the top of the tower in the Caspian Sea.

Don't Be Afraid, I'm with You

The story developed during XX century in Russian empire, Azerbaijan. Two circus actors Rustam and his friend San Sanich travel to a village where Rustam was born after long years of absence, to burry his aunt. After burring his aunt, friends decide to stay in her house for couple of days. A local wealthy inhabitant of the village Farzali bek, is looking for oil, and finds out that the land which now officially owned by Rustam might have some oil repositories. He learns that Rustam is back and wants to take him out, to put his hands on valuable land. A young theater singer Teymur is in love with Farzali bey's beautiful daughter, Telli, but has nothing to offer to marry her. Yet he decides to speak with her father. While planning to "sell" his daughter to one of other wealthy bey's son, Farzali bey still promises that if Teymur will kill Rustam, he will let Telli marry him. Rustam and his friend San Sanich defend Teymur, but after talking to him become friends. They decide to help ...

By the Bluest of Seas

Two men shipwrecked on an island in the Caspian Sea are saved by members of a collective farm, where they work on its fishing boats and woo the young woman leading the fishermen.

Sevil

After the play of same name of Jafar Jabbarli. This melodrama is about the woman who had unhappy homelife and tried to free herself from shariat rules.

Nizami

The historical film about great Azerbaijan poet and philosopher Nizami Ganjavi's life.

Our Teacher Jabish

Events are happening in WW2. Jabish is a teacher at primary school. His complaining wife drives him mad about not bribing. Then she makes him to cook a soap for making the money. Also other processes are shown in the course of the war.