BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 13. The premiere of the feature film “44”, a work dedicated to the heroism of the Azerbaijani people during the Second Karabakh War and aimed at preserving historical memory and fostering patriotism among the younger generation, was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center.
The guests included Head of the Baku Media Center Arzu Aliyeva, Alena Aliyeva, prominent state and public figures, and famous representatives of culture, science, and young creative intelligentsia.
It was an evening where pain and pride, tears and admiration, deep emotion and immense gratitude toward the heroes intertwined. The audience could not hold back their emotions; tears glistened in many eyes, while a profound sense of pride swelled in hearts for those who had secured Victory for the country at the cost of their own lives. As the final scenes appeared on screen, the hall erupted in prolonged applause. The audience rose from their seats, giving the filmmakers a standing ovation.
Yet, the most poignant moment of the evening was the appearance on stage of the mothers of the martyrs, women whose pain knows no solace, and whose hearts forever cherish the memory of sons who gave their lives for the Motherland. In that moment, words failed to suffice. Behind each of them lay a personal tragedy and an irreparable loss, yet also a boundless maternal pride. Their appearance on stage was not merely a touching moment of the premiere, but a moment of profound silence in the soul of everyone present, a moment where art touched life itself, and the story on screen took on faces, destinies, and real human pain…
Just feel the weight of these mothers' words...
"It’s difficult for me to speak after watching this film. On one hand, it’s very hard; the emotions I have relived are overwhelming, but on the other hand, this film evokes a tremendous sense of pride. As the mother of a martyr, I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who poured their energy and soul into its creation.
May Allah be pleased with you for bringing this story to the screen. May the Almighty grant health to everyone who contributed even the smallest part to this work. This is truly a great story, a part of our history.
For future generations, for our children and youth, this film will serve as a powerful example. It will remain with us forever. All the families of martyrs must know: even though our children have perished, they live on. Heroes like these, our brothers, preserve the memory of our sons and ensure they do not vanish from our lives.
First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, our President Ilham Aliyev. I pray that our President always stands with the Azerbaijani people and that dark clouds never gather over our country. Thanks to our President’s policies, and thanks to the blood and self-sacrifice of our soldiers and officers, we live in a free country today.
I pray for all our martyrs and wish health to our veterans, our veterans, as well as the soldiers and officers who stand guard over our security and protect us. May Allah shield them from enemies. They protect..." ...us, giving us the chance to live, and may the Almighty always be their protector.
For us, the mothers of martyrs, watching this film was incredibly difficult, we were in tears almost as soon as it began. From the very first scenes, recalling the times when our sons were still alive, when they loved, dreamed, and planned to start families, our hearts ached with pain. As a mother, I felt every moment deeply. It felt as though we were reliving everything our children had gone through.
This film is our life. It is the life of our sons. It likely reflects the destinies of all the heroes of the Karabakh War.
We were able to return to Karabakh thanks to all those who fought for it in the past and those who continued that struggle, despite the passage of so many years. Thank God, we believed in our children. And today, we can say with pride: Karabakh is ours!
On behalf of the families of the martyrs, I wish to express immense gratitude to the film's creators. Thank you for preserving the memory of our sons and for portraying their lives and destinies.
May their memory live on forever. For us, this film is like the return of our sons; it feels as though they have come back to life on the screen.
Thank you for everything. We, the families of the martyrs, will always stand by you and support you.
I’m proud of the entire Azerbaijani people and our valiant sons; I am proud of our President, Ilham Aliyev. We never retreated, nor did we let fear stop us. You know that our city, Ganja, endured several terrorist attacks. Yet, despite all this, our people did not back down—they kept fighting and went off to war.
I want to express my deep gratitude to every actor, every person involved in making this film, and everyone who poured their effort into it. May your efforts be rewarded!
In every scene, I recognized something familiar, something from my own life. It was all so authentic that it was impossible to remain unmoved.
Once again, on behalf of all the mothers of martyrs, I express my deep gratitude to the country's leadership and the entire Azerbaijani people.
For us, this film is like a living embodiment of our fallen sons. Thank you for preserving their memory and for allowing us to see them on screen once again.”
A hero of the 44-day Patriotic (Second Karabakh) War, Zaur Huseynov, also shared his impressions on behalf of his fellow soldiers.
"Today, we watched more than just a film about the war. Today, we once again connected with our national history and historical memory. We revisited the pages of the Azerbaijani people's glorious and heroic history, witnessing the courage of our sons and the strength and determination of our state.
I traversed this path alongside my fellow soldiers. Our journey took us through Jabrayil, Hadrut, Fuzuli, and the villages of the Khojavand district, ultimately leading us to Shusha.
As we scaled the cliffs of Shusha, we were conquering more than just heights; we were carrying the national pride of the Azerbaijani people on our shoulders.
Our path was no ordinary asphalt road. It passed through the blood of martyrs, the unyielding will of soldiers, and the prayers of mothers; it led us across Jidir Duzu and Isa Bulaghi, and up the cliffs and fortress walls of Shusha.
Under the leadership of the esteemed President of Azerbaijan and Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani warriors in the Patriotic War put an end to our people's 30-year longing for their native land.
The Azerbaijani soldier knew that the state stood behind him. The Azerbaijani officer understood that the will of the entire nation lay behind the tasks assigned to him. We knew that the resolve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, was unwavering.
The Azerbaijani people have returned to their lands, and this has become a reality. Yes, we have won. And today, we bow our heads in deep respect to the cherished memory of our comrades-in-arms who are no longer in our ranks. They became true heroes of our Victory, heroes whom we will never forget. May Allah rest the souls of our martyrs!
Today, we witnessed the heroic history of the Azerbaijani people and state brought to life on the big screen with such grandeur. This is a significant event for our national pride and historical memory.
On behalf of myself and my comrades-in-arms, I express immense gratitude to the entire creative team that worked on the film. We wrote history on the battlefield, and you did everything to preserve it and pass it on to future generations. Long live the sons of Azerbaijan! Long live Azerbaijan! Long live our historical memory!" Huseynov said.
People's Artist of Azerbaijan Mehriban Zaki spoke on behalf of the creative team.
"Dear friends, after watching the film, I tried many times to find the right words. I wondered what I would say and how I could express everything I was feeling. But the final scenes moved me so deeply that it is difficult to speak about it.
Six years ago, both before and during the 44-day war, our entire nation united around a single goal, around a single fist. That was the fist of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. The entire nation, our veterans, the soldiers who fought, our valiant army, and the families of the martyrs rallied around him.
Every day, we awaited news with bated breath. We waited to hear what the President would say and what news the new day would bring. And while creating this film, we felt those same emotions, that same unity, and that same excitement all over again.
Today we are here, you in the audience and we before you, yet that unity remains alive. And I am certain: if the Supreme Commander-in-Chief tells us to move forward tomorrow, we will all rise and march as one.
Please forgive my emotions. Seeing the mothers of the martyrs on stage was deeply moving for me. No mother wishes for the death of her son, a piece of her own heart. Yet every mother standing here knows that her son gave his life for the Motherland.
Dear mothers, I want to say to each of you: we are all children of this Motherland, but in you, the mothers of the martyrs—the Motherland itself is embodied. I bow low before you. May Allah grant you patience and strength!" Zaki noted.
These were the words spoken at the conclusion of the film, a work destined to take its place in the treasury of national cinema and the glorious heroic chronicle of our people.
Before the screening, a video was shown presenting statistics on the film's production. Guests then listened to the soundtrack of the film "44," performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and the State Choral Chapel of Azerbaijan. The emotional atmosphere created by the music was accompanied by documentary footage reflecting the Azerbaijani people's journey to Victory. The footage featured scenes from the struggle for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the policies of National Leader Heydar Aliyev aimed at liberating occupied lands, as well as video material showing the continuation of this political course by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Commander-in-Chief, Ilham Aliyev.
Following this, the feature film "44" was screened.
The feature film "44" is a drama about heroism and love, told from the perspective of a cadet. Through the portrayal of special forces personnel, the film captures the spirit, determination, and self-sacrifice of the generation that rose to defend the Motherland.
The plot centers on Special Forces officer Rashad Khalilov, Turkish orthopedic surgeon Zeynep Özdemir (working in Azerbaijan), and Special Forces unit commander Colonel Ramazan Karimov. Alongside the characters' personal trials and romantic storylines, the film depicts intense military events.
"44" isn’t merely a war movie. This is the story of the Azerbaijani people, a people whose hearts are filled with love for their homeland, who never lost hope, and who fought selflessly to the very end for the liberation of their lands.
The film "44" serves as an artistic chronicle of a historic victory, a triumph achieved through the "iron fist" of the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the unity of the people, and the heroism of Azerbaijan's brave sons.
Produced with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Cinema Agency (ARKA), and the Baku Media Center, "44" stands as one of Azerbaijan's major cinematic projects of recent years in terms of production scale, the number of specialists involved, filming locations, technical resources utilized, and the level of international collaboration. The film’s Artistic Director Anar Alakbarov, Directors Ismail Safarali and Maxim Smetana, Screenwriters Anar Alakbarov and Ismayil Iman, Producer Orman Aliyev, Cinematographer Alexander Pozdnyakov, Editor Elshad Rahimov, Composer Ruslan Aghababayev, Sound Designer Teymur Karimov.
The film was in production for five years, spanning from script development to the completion of post-production. Specifically, work on the screenplay and directorial script took two years, pre-production took one year, the actual filming process lasted 14 months, and post-production took another year.
The core creative, acting, and administrative team consisted of 455 people. When including military personnel, extras, actors in bit parts, and contracted specialists, the total number of project participants reached several thousand.
The project engaged 198 specialists from various fields. Participants included 2,500 military personnel, 42 special forces operatives, 32 actors in lead roles, 1,143 actors in supporting roles, and approximately 2,000 extras. Veterans of the Patriotic War were also among the cast.
Alongside Azerbaijani actors, the film features the renowned Turkish actress Özge Gürel. Before filming, the cast underwent military-tactical training at a Special Forces training base. Units from all branches of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were involved in the production.
Filming took place in Baku, Absheron, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Goranboy, Ganja, Khojaly, Khojavend, Khizi, Lerik, and Shusha. In total, the production spanned more than 130 locations.
The production involved over 150 units of military hardware, weaponry, engineering equipment, aircraft, and vehicles, as well as communications gear, personal equipment, and specialized apparatus. Assets used for filming included tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, multiple launch rocket systems, artillery, attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, engineering machinery, and armored vehicles, alongside small arms, machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, anti-tank missile systems, and mortars.
To realistically recreate large-scale combat scenes, the production utilized 300,000 rounds of training and live ammunition of various types, hundreds of units of training ordnance, and significant quantities of pyrotechnics, smoke effects, explosives, and specialized stunt equipment.
The editing process for the 112 hours of raw footage took a full year, resulting in a final film with a runtime of 2 hours and 38 minutes.
International specialists were engaged at various stages of the project. Stunt work, stunt choreography, pyrotechnic effects, on-set sound recording, camera support, makeup services, music recording, mixing, sound design, CGI creation, color grading, and final image processing, as well as the provision of technical equipment for premieres, involved specialists from 13 countries: the U.S., Germany, Austria, Belarus, the UK, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Estonia.
CGI work for the film was carried out jointly with Ukrainian specialists at the Estonian studio UMP, which specializes in 3D graphics, computer animation, and visual effects. No artificial intelligence products were used in the making of the film.
Post-production, including color grading, digital image processing, and mastering, was handled by the Polish studio FixaFilm, a Dolby Vision-certified facility specializing in final image processing. The initial music recording took place at New York Production Studios in the U.S.; subsequently, the score was recorded in Baku by the Symphony Orchestra of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, conducted by Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Eyyub Guliyev. Final music mixing and mastering were performed at the renowned UK facility AIR Studios.
The total effort dedicated to the film's musical production amounted to 394 hours, comprising 202 hours of studio recording and 192 hours of post-processing. Sound post-production—including sound editing, the processing of all audio elements and effects, and the integration of the musical score- spanned a period of six months. Final sound mastering, including the creation of a professional Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, was carried out over 450 hours at the ORK Film Company with the participation of Russian specialists.
Particular attention was paid to accessibility during the film's production. Using modern technology, an audio-described version was created for visually impaired viewers.
Specifically for the premiere screenings, a state-of-the-art projection screen was purchased from the German-Austrian firm LANG AG, and a cutting-edge cinema projector with a DCP playback system was leased from the German company BIG Cinema. This equipment marks the first time such technology has been used in Azerbaijan to screen a feature film of this scale. Modern systems ensuring high-quality sound were also utilized during the screening.
To mark the premiere, a special publication was produced featuring photos and information about the filming process, archival materials, and the work of the creative team, alongside a limited edition of commemorative gift sets.
Plans are in place to promote the feature film "44" internationally through screenings abroad and participation in international film festivals.
The film "44" will be released in cinemas across the country starting October 15.