Rustam Mammad Ibrahim oghlu Ibrahimbeyov (or Ibrahimbekov; ; ; 5 February 1939 – 11 March 2022) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani screenwriter, playwright and producer, well known beyond his home Azerbaijan and the former
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He was the chair of the Cinematographers' Union of Azerbaijan and director of the Ibrus Theatre.
Early life and education
Rustam İbrahimbeyov was born in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
,
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...
, to Mammadibrahim Ibrahimbeyov and Fatima Meshadibeyova. His father was a professor of
art history
Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Tradit ...
who hailed from
Shamakhi. Ibragimbekov is the younger brother of
Magsud Ibrahimbeyov, an
Azerbaijani writer and politician.
İbrahimbeyov graduated from
Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute
Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University (formerly Azerbaijan State Oil Academy) () is a tertiary education institution in Baku, Azerbaijan.
History
The rise of what became ASOIU is tied to the rise of the petroleum industry in the Ba ...
, then studied script writing and film directing at the
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, officially the S. A. Gerasimov All-Russian University of Cinematography (, meaning
''All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov''), a.k.a. VGIK, is a film school in Moscow, ...
in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
.
Film career
His
screenwriting
Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession.
Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, dev ...
credits include more than 40 film and television scripts, numerous plays and pieces of prose, and nearly all of his scripts were eventually made into full feature or TV films, including ''
White Sun of the Desert'' (1970, Белое солнце пустыни), ''
Interrogation
Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful informa ...
'' (1979, Допрос), ''Guard Me, My Talisman'' (1986, Храни меня, мой талисман), ''
Urga'' (Урга, Территория любви, 1991), ''
Burnt by the Sun
''Burnt by the Sun'' (, Transliteration, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 Russian drama film starring, directed, written, and produced by Nikita Mikhalkov and co-written by Azerbaijani screenwrite ...
'' (1994, Утомлённые солнцем), ''
The Barber of Siberia'' (1998, Сибирский цирюльник), ''
East/West'' (1999),
''Broken Bridges'' (2004) and ''
Nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
'' (2005/2007).
''
White Sun of the Desert'' (1969), for which he co-wrote the script with Valentin Yezhov, became a
cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
in the
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. From the 1970s, he collaborated with
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (; born 21 October 1945) is a Russian filmmaker and actor. He made his directorial debut with the Red Western film ''At Home Among Strangers'' (1974) after appearing in a series of films, including the romantic com ...
. ''
Urga, Territory of Love'', directed by Mikhalkov and released in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
as ''Close to Eden'', won the
Golden Lion
The Golden Lion () is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguished prizes. In 1970, a ...
Award in the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
, as well as the Felix Award in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
as Best European Film. ''Close to Eden'' was nominated for American Film
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
(Oscar) in 1995 as Best Foreign Language Film. ''
Burnt by the Sun
''Burnt by the Sun'' (, Transliteration, translit. ''Utomlyonnye solntsem'', literally "wearied by the sun") is a 1994 Russian drama film starring, directed, written, and produced by Nikita Mikhalkov and co-written by Azerbaijani screenwrite ...
'' (directed by Mikhalkov) received an
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
in 1994 and Grand Prize of the Jury at 47th
Cannes International Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around t ...
; their film ''The Barber of Siberia'' was the most expensive European production of 1997. However, in 2008, he admitted having effectively stopped working with Mikhalkov due to political disagreements between them.
Ibragimbekov was co-screenwriter with
Sergei Bodrov of French director
Régis Wargnier
Régis Wargnier (; born 18 April 1948) is a French film director, film producer, screenwriter and film score composer. His 1992 film ''Indochine (film), Indochine'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards. ...
's Oscar-nominated 1999 movie ''
East/West''.
Writing and theatre work
Ibragimbekov was a well-known writer. Several collected works were published in Russia,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
and abroad. He also wrote over ten theatre plays that were staged in numerous theatres. In 2001, Ibragimbekov founded Ibrus, a cultural centre in Baku functioning as a theatre where plays are acted in both Azerbaijani and Russian.
Other roles
In 1987, İbrahimbeyov was a member of the
jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...
at the
15th Moscow International Film Festival
The 15th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 6 to 17 July 1987. The Golden Prize was awarded to the Italian film '' Intervista'' directed by Federico Fellini.
Jury
* Robert De Niro (United States – President of the Jury)
* Tengiz ...
.
He was the head of the
awards jury at the inaugural
Golden Minbar International Festival of Muslim Cinema in 2005.
Ibragimbekov was the chairman of the Confederation of Filmmakers' Unions (CFU), which represents filmmakers from all of the former
Soviet republics, Secretary of the
Russian Filmmakers' Union, and member of the
European Film Academy
The European Film Academy is a group of European film director, filmmakers who come together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988.
Every year, the European Film Academy honors films an ...
and
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
.
Public activity and criticism
In the late Soviet epoch, Ibrahimbeyov was a supporter of the
Popular Front of Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP; , ) is a political party in Azerbaijan, founded in 1989 by Abulfaz Elchibey. Since Elchibey was ousted from power in the 1993 military coup, the party has been one of the main opposition parties to th ...
which called for democratic reforms and Azerbaijan's sovereignty. He signed petitions addressed to
Kamran Baghirov and
Ayaz Mutallibov in the aftermath of
Black January (also known as Black Saturday or the January Massacre), was a violent crackdown in Baku on 19–20 January 1990, pursuant to a state of emergency during the dissolution of the Soviet Union when Soviet troops entered Baku and shot over 130 participants of a peaceful pro-Popular Front rally, bypassers and medical personnel rushing to provide assistance.
In 2009, Rustam Ibrahimbeyov became one of the founders of the Intelligentsia Forum, an Azerbaijani public organisation which unites prominent scientists, writers and journalists. The forum unanimously criticised the arrest of Azerbaijani bloggers
Emin Milli and
Adnan Hajizadeh accused of "hooliganism" and demanded the government release opposition journalist
Eynulla Fatullayev imprisoned allegedly for defamation, encouraging terrorism and drug possession.
[Rashad Rustamov]
"Unethical to Praise Govt First, Then to Criticise It"
zerkalo.az, 25 May 2012. He reportedly attended opposition rallies in Baku.
Ibrahimbeyov repeatedly criticised the 2009 constitutional amendment which lifted the two-term limit for the presidency in Azerbaijan, calling it "shameful". At the same time, he admitted seeing no real alternative to the current president,
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005.
The son and second child of former Aze ...
. He openly appealed to Aliyev asking to free the government of incompetent people he referred to as "cheats" who comprise the "core part of the system".
[Rustam Ibragimbekov Addressed to Ilham Aliyev](_blank)
aydinliq.az, 8 January 2012.
Ibrahimbeyov's criticism targeted Azerbaijan's
Ministry of Culture and Tourism for artificially creating obstacles in order to obliterate the initiative of the Cinematographers' Union of Azerbaijan (chaired by Ibrahimbeyov) to open and maintain the Higher School of Filmmaking in Baku. He accused the Head of the Presidential Administration,
Ramiz Mehdiyev, and the Head of the Department of the Arts of the said administration, Fatma Abdullazadeh, of "doing everything possible" to obstruct cultural projects of the Union for the past ten years, namely the annual East/West International Film Festival or screenings of Azerbaijani films in rural parts of the country. According to Ibrahimbeyov, aspiring filmmakers have no opportunities of studying in Azerbaijan and can only hope to be state-funded to study abroad, if they bribe the appropriate officials.
Due to his public activity, the forum and namely İbrahimbeyov became subject to criticism from various government figures and members of the ruling party.
He was unable to purchase land near the
Martyrs' Lane due to legal issues involving the government and hence resorting to critical statements targeting state policy and government establishments such as
SOCAR. Ibragimbekov refuted these claims by stating that SOCAR deliberately incurs in his private property in the Baku suburb of Bayil intending to install oil rigs there without having proper documentation.
In June 2012, an organisation alternative to the Cinematographers' Union of Azerbaijan and named Cinematographers' Union of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established, uniting many members of the former. The executive committee assessed Ibrahimbeyov's work as a union chair as "unsatisfactory". Ibrahimbeyov responded by stating that the establishment of the new union was orchestrated by the government due to his political activity and that should the new union with almost the same name and function be officially registered, the political nature of its creation would become obvious. He explained the creative problems experienced by the union he has chaired by the difficulties which the government had caused for its existence. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that the new union would engage in a productive activity. Ibragimbekov believed members of the new union may have been pressured by the government into speaking out against the union he chairs.
In an interview to Azerbaijani media, Polish director
Krzysztof Zanussi praised Ibrahimbeyov for his contribution to both Azerbaijani and world film. However, this particular part of the interview was censored out and not included in the official publication. Around the same time the head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan
Ali Hasanov attacked Ibrahimbeyov in the media, accusing him of fraud committed against businesspeople in Moscow. He also commented on the establishment of a new union, saying film making required "skilled people, as opposed to those who cannot do anything." He added that Ibrahimbeyov should not expect to be thanked by Azerbaijani society for "having directed a couple of movies or so." For these remarks, Hasanov himself came under the attack of Azerbaijani human rights activists. Chair of the Committee for the Protection of Women's Rights Novella Jafarova believes Hasanov must be made legally accountable according to the Azerbaijani law, which still considers
libel
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
a criminal offence but seems to be applied only against journalists. Chair of the Azerbaijan National Committee of
Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Arzu Abdullayeva said Hasanov's words as those coming from the head of a social and political department are illogical. According to her, Ibrahimbeyov's reputation is impeccable in Azerbaijan, and he would not even react to this attack because he and Hasanov "are in different weight classes."
In July 2012, Russian writer of Azerbaijani descent
Eduard Bagirov publicly renounced his membership with the
Writers' Union of Azerbaijan and the All-Russia Azerbaijanii Congress as a form of protest against political repressions targeting Ibrahimbeyov in Azerbaijan.
In 2010, after the All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress (at the time, the leading Azerbaijani diaspora organization in Russia) implemented some structural changes, Ibrahimbeyov, who held Russian citizenship and had been one of the vice-presidents of the Congress, was demoted from his position. He later explained these changes by a directive coming from Baku. In 2012, Ibrahimbeyov declared the Congress a non-functioning entity and co-established the Union of Azerbaijani Organizations of Russia together with high-ranking Russian businessmen of Azerbaijani origin:
Aras Agalarov (father of Ilham Aliyev's son-in-law
Emin Agalarov),
Vagit Alekperov,
Telman Ismailov, Isgandar Khalilov, Abbas Abbasov, Soyun Sadikhov, and
Ramazan Abdulatipov
Ramazan Gadzhimuradovich Abdulatipov (; ; born 4 August 1946) is a Russian politician and professor. He served as Head of the Republic of Dagestan from 28 January 2013 until his resignation effective 3 October 2017.
Biography
From 1990–1 ...
(originally
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...
i). This led to a new wave of criticism of Ibrahimbeyov on the part of state-sponsored media and accusations of him "being sympathetic to Armenians", "embezzling public funds" and "having exhausted his talent as a director". In addition, he was accused of pandering to Russia's interests in the region by fellow diaspora activists. Ibrahimbeyov claimed the Union was formed due to the inactivity of other diaspora organizations and has no political agenda.
Legal issues
In December 2012, Ibrahimbeyov was held up at the
Heydar Aliyev International Airport
Heydar Aliyev International Airport (; IATA: GYD, ICAO: UBBB) is one of the seven international airports serving Azerbaijan. It is the busiest airport both in Azerbaijan and in the South Caucasus as well as one of the busiest in the post-Sovie ...
in Baku, reportedly due to the fact that the computer system had failed to identify him. In January 2013, he was held up again and told that he had been forbidden to access his flight from the airport's VIP zone. In the common zone, where Ibrahimbeyov then proceeded, the computer system was again said to have been irresponsive. According to
Eldar Namazov, who witnessed the scene, Ibrahimbeyov was only let through after a "notification" was received from the authorities.
On 3 June 2013, Ibrahimbeyov filed a lawsuit against
Ali Hasanov, then the Head of the Department of Social Political Issues of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, for
libel
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
. According to Ibrahimbeyov's lawyer, the court refused to take the lawsuit for various reasons and the courts of appeal upheld those decisions. Finally, the process was started following the decision of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan. As of 21 June, the court had adjourned the hearing three times due to the defendant's failure to show up.
Personal life
Rustam Ibrahimbeyov is the father of director Fuad Ibrahimbeyov by his first marriage to Shohrat Ibrahimbeyova. A year later the couple divorced and Rustam Ibrahimbeyov married actress
Lyudmila Dukhovnaya by whom he has a daughter named Fatima. Rustam Ibrahimbeyov died after a long illness at his home in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, on 11 March 2022, at the age of 83. He was buried at the
Alley of Honor in Baku.
Honours and awards
* Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan SSR (23 December 1976)
[Respublika kino sənəti işçilərinə Azərbaycan SSR fəxri adlarının verilməsi haqqında Azərbaycan SSR Ali Soveti Rəyasət Heyətinin 23 dekabr 1976-cı il tarixli Fərmanı](_blank)
— anl.az
*
Lenin Komsomol Prize
Lenin Komsomol Prize () was a Soviet Union, Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years. Komsomol was the abbreviated name of The Communist Union of ...
(1979) – for the screenplays of ''White Sun of the Desert'' (1969), ''A Tale Chekist'' (1969) and plays ''Home on the Sand'' (1976), ''Interrogation, or Moment of Truth'' (1978)
* State Prize of Azerbaijan SSR (1980) – a script for the film ''Birthday'' (1978)
*
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...
(1981) – for the screenplay ''
Interrogation
Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful informa ...
'' (1979)
*
State Prize of the Russian Federation
The State Prize of the Russian Federation, officially translated in Russia as Russian Federation National Award, is a state honorary prize established in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates ...
(1993) – a script for the film ''Urga'' (1991); for the screenplay of the film ''Burnt by the Sun'' (1994); for the screenplay of the film ''White Sun pusyni'' (1969); for the screenplay of the film ''The Barber of Siberia'' (1998)
*
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
("Oscar") for Best Foreign Language Film, ''Burnt by the Sun'' (1994,
American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
*
Honoured Artist of Russia (28 December 1995)
* Grand Prix of the MTF of the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...
countries (1998)
*
Order of Merit for the Fatherland
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* ...
, 3rd class (9 February 1999) – for outstanding contribution to the development of national cinematography
* Prize for best feature film of the Interregional Festival "Eurasia Kaleidoscope" (2000)
* Diploma of the
Moscow City Duma
The Moscow City Duma (, commonly abbreviated to ) is the Regional parliaments of Russia, regional parliament (city duma) of Moscow, a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject and the capital city of Russia. As Moscow is one of Federal cities ...
(2009)
* Honorary member of the Arts
*
Golden Orange (2011)
Renouncing the Order of Arts and Letters
Ibrahimbeyov was awarded the title of Commander of the
French Order of Arts and Letters in 2000. He renounced this award in 2012 as a sign of protest against a French law criminalizing the refusal of qualifying the
1915 events as "the Armenian genocide." In an open letter, he stated: "For opportunistic purposes and electoral gains, which are so highly insignificant compared to the democratic image of the country, there has been passed a law preventing the people of France from exercising their basic civil right of self-expression." Ibrahimbeyov also quit the position of President of the Azerbaijan—France Cultural Ties Society.
Rustam Ibrahimbeyov Renounced Order of Arts and Letters
. ''Zerkalo''. 26 January 2012.
References
External links
* Interview with Rustam Ibrahimbeyov in New York at the screening of his 2010 film .
* Interview with Rustam Ibrahimbeyov as screenwriter after Mikhalkov's "Burnt by the Sun" won the 1995 Oscar for "Best Foreign Film
* "Famous People, Then and Now - Rustam Ibrahimbeyov," i
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060104013026/http://www.biograph.ru/bank/ibragimbekov_R.htm Biography of Rustam Ibrahimbeyov (In Russian)*
* Short story by Rustam Ibrahimbeyov, "Music Lesson"
AZER.com at ''Azerbaijan International,'' Vol. 12:1 (Spring 2004), pp. 94-97
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rustam Ibrahimbeyov
1939 births
2022 deaths
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography alumni
Azerbaijani screenwriters
Soviet screenwriters
Soviet male screenwriters
Male screenwriters
Azerbaijani film directors
Azerbaijani film producers
Writers from Baku
Film people from Baku
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class
Recipients of the Lenin Komsomol Prize
Recipients of the USSR State Prize
State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates
Recipients of the Shohrat Order
Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Golden Orange Award winners
High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors alumni
Honorary members of the Russian Academy of Arts
Academicians of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences "Nika"
Golden Orange Life Achievement Award winners
Honored Art Workers of the Azerbaijan SSR
Honored Workers of the Arts Industry of the Russian Federation