Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers

Date of establishment: 1963

The Azerbaijan Cinematographers Union (AKI) is a public organization uniting professional creative cinema workers of Azerbaijan on a voluntary basis.

The Azerbaijan Cinematographers Union (AKI) was established on January 11, 1963 at the First Constituent Congress of the Republican Cinematography Workers. The main goal of the Union is to develop national cinema, national culture and world cinema as a major part. The organization mainly carries out its activities on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the same time, it carries out creative and business relations with cinematographic organizations of other countries, represents the interests of its members in foreign countries, and protects their professional, civil, and social rights. The AKI was actually established in January 1958 under the name “Bureau of the Azerbaijan Cinematographers Union Organization”. The head of the Bureau was Latif Safarov, and the deputy was Huseyn Seyidzade. The total number of its members was 82 people. The Organizational Bureau consisted of five departments: “Feature Cinematography”, “Dramaturgy, Theory and Criticism”, “Documentary and Scientific-Popular Cinematography”, “Science and Technology”, “Cinema Lovers”. On February 10, 1960, the Cinema House was opened. Finally, the Azerbaijan Cinematographers Union was formed at the First Founding Congress held on January 11, 1963.

At the Second Congress of the Union of Cinematographers (December 22-23, 1964), Hasan Seyidbayli was elected as the head of the organization.

In March 1976, the Azerbaijan Department of the Bureau for the Propagation of Soviet Cinema Art was established under the Union of Cinematographers.

The department held film screenings for the population and organized creative meetings. In May 1981, at the Fifth Congress of the Union of Cinematographers, Rustam Ibrahimbeyov was elected the First Secretary of the Organization’s Board. The VI Congress, held in 1985, was dedicated to the current problems of cinematography. The VII Congress was held in 1990. In the new socio-economic conditions, the ACI, together with the “Azerkinovideo” Production Association, developed a new development program and concept of national cinema. After Azerbaijan gained independence, the first congress of the ACI – the VIII Congress – was held on December 15-16, 1995. A concept of development of national cinema was developed in the new conditions. The IX Congress of the ACI was held in 2003. The reports reflected issues such as personnel training and film education. According to the results of the congress, Rustam Ibrahimbeyov was re-elected as the chairman of the ACI, and Rasim Balayev was elected as the first secretary. On May 13, 2005, the ACI Board Plenum was held. The plenum discussed the situation in national cinema during the two years following the congress. At the 10th Congress of the Azerbaijan Cinematographers' Union held on May 30, 2008, Rustam Ibrahimbeyov was re-elected as the Chairman of the Union. 172 out of 261 members of the Union attended the Congress. In 2008, the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Cinematographers' Union met with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The head of state approved the "State Program for the Development of Azerbaijani Cinema in 2008-2018" proposed by Rustam Ibrahimbeyov. At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Azerbaijan Cinematographers' Union held on February 17, 2019, a decision was made to restore the Cinema School and the Cinema House. On March 5, 2024, at a joint conference of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan and the Union of Cinematographers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Rasim Balayev was elected Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan. ARKI merged with the AKI.