[Stephanie] Fellow world traveler, James Bond glamorizes Azerbaijan in "The World Is Not Enough," racing past the oil fields outside Baku in his BMW Z8.

Driving through Baku in a more modest bus, I was mesmerized.

The city feels clean and grandiose.

The captivating architecture is an interesting mix of Persian, Russian and Turkish influences.

Traveling further into the country, I observed stark contrasts between cosmopolitan Baku, and the more traditional agricultural villages further afield.

These contrasts make Azerbaijan all the more alluring.

Azerbaijan is proudly proclaimed “The Land Of Fire," partially due to their ancient Zoroastrian roots, whose devotees maintain an eternal flame.

From geological wonders, to cultural heritage, and a fascinating history, for me, Azerbaijan is a road less traveled, one worthy of extended exploration.

♪ “Steadee█s Groove” ♪ Hi, I'm Stephanie.

I'm a 33-year-old American filmmaker, and a complete cinema nerd.

I love the oldies, the goodies.

The New Waves or Golden Age, you name it, I'm in.

On my 33rd birthday, I decided to travel the world to meet and document other filmmakers my age.

Travel with me to over 33 countries to meet the storytellers who are dynamically challenging the status quo of the world today.

Together, we will watch their films, hear their stories, engage with their cultures, and perhaps, learn a little bit about life, love, cinema, history, and me!

{ in Azerbaijani } ♪{Uplifting Music}♪ [Stephanie] Culturally and geographically straddled between East and West, neither Europe nor Asia, Azerbaijan is truly a unique place to visit.

Nestled in the Caucasus region, Azerbaijan, with a population of over 10 million, is bordered by the Caspian Sea, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Georgia, and Armenia, with whom it has been warring on-again, off-again over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

In 1848, the first oil well in the world was drilled in Azerbaijan, near present day Baku.

During the oil boom of the following decades, Azerbaijan was home to the first theater, ballet, opera, and cinema in the Muslim world.

The Nobel brothers of the famed Nobel Peace Prize first earned their millions in Baku after founding the Azerbaijan based oil company, Branobel.

I visited Azerbaijan thanks to a documentary short I saw about the Nobel family in Baku, directed by Jalaladdin Gasimov.

As luck had it, Jalaladdin told me he was a 33-year-old filmmaker, and I hopped on a flight.

It turns out, Jalaladdin is a 53-year-old former KGB official-turned-police chief, who is now pursuing his love of movie-making in retirement.

At least he has imagination.

Jalaladdin pours his love of country into archival documentaries exploring Azerbaijan's eclectic history.

After making his first film at age 50, he has since produced a handful of films, which have screened in numerous festivals around the world.

Luckily, we soon found our way to Oktay Namazov, who showed us the promising world of actual 33-year-old filmmakers in Azerbaijan.

Oktay Namazov is a courageous director of documentary films, focusing mostly on social and human rights.

Born in Sheki in the west of the country, he moved to Baku on his own at the age of 14, where he now lives with his family.

[Oktay] Stephanie, from the States.

[Stephanie] Salam.

[Rafa] Hello, I█m Rafa.

[Oktay] And Tizzz.

[Stephanie] Nice to meet you.

[Oktay] And she█s Rafa, my wife.

[Oktay] And his name is Orman.

It means “forest.” [Stephanie] Orman!

[Oktay] Stephanie!

[Stephanie] Hello Orman, [Stephanie] Salam.

(Hello.)

[Stephanie] Oktay graduated from the University of Anatolia in Türkiye, with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising.

He eventually quit his job at an ad agency to focus on filmmaking, and never looked back.

In Baku, Oktay started making social awareness films and became involved with social activism within Azerbaijan.

Just before we met, Oktay had graduated from a second degree, the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Doc Nomads Joint Masters Program which allowed him to live and study in 3 different countries: Portugal, Belgium and Hungary.

Now he is back in Baku, fighting for the right balance of filmmaker and family man, trying to be a voice representing his love of Azerbaijani culture.

I really admire Oktay and the film work he does.

Oktay works as a freelance filmmaker, and when not directing his own, he is a highly regarded cinematographer, and has shot several feature films and shorts, such as "Yadigar," "Cold as Marble," and “Heartbreath.” For me, Oktay's cinematography is striking in how he composes images which are both intimate and detached all at once.

I especially love Oktay's cinematography in his piece "Home," about the consequences of the conflict with Armenia, set in an Azerbaijani border town.

[Oktay] In order to call yourself a film director, as in, “Director, we say "Rejissor," I need, either, I should have a masterpiece, or 3 good films.

That's why I call myself a “filmmaker.” I think there's a difference between the director who deserves the title, “Director,” and a "filmmaker," who can make normal, good films.

[Stephanie] Azerbaijan, historically, was part of the old Persian Empire with strong ties to Zoroastrianism.

Culturally, Azerbaijan has a myriad of influences, from the Caucasian Albanian Christians in the 4th century; to the Arabs, who brought in Islam in the 7th; to the Nomadic Turkic Horsemen, who also left their mark; while passing through the hands of the Shirvanshahs; and the Azeri Safavid Shahs; who came to conquer the entire Persian Empire.

And in the 18th century, the Russians worked their way in as a precursor to the Soviet Union.

In 1918, Azerbaijan declared itself independent as the first democracy of the Muslim world, an incredible moment in time, which lasted less than two years when the Russians reconquered the country.

During this brief stint of democracy, Azerbaijan was the first Muslim country to grant women the right to vote.

It was not until over 50 years later, in 1991, that Azerbaijan again declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

Since 1993, the country has had only two presidents: Heydar Aliyev, originally a high ranking KGB official, who led until 2003, when his son, Ilham Aliyev, took over.

Azerbaijan's capital city, oil-rich Baku, with its now iconic Flame Towers, became a boomtown in the 1870s, thanks to the discovery of this “black gold.” And by 1905, Azerbaijan was supplying half the world█s oil.

Today, Baku, with a population of over 2 million, is having to be more creative about its economic industries, as the oil has all but run out.

They have supplemented by building massive skyscrapers and cultural centers, hosting Formula One races, the European Soccer League Finals, and trying to turn their attention towards tourism.

Throughout Baku, I marveled at building after building; designed as theaters, universities, ballet schools, and literary hubs.

Impressive remnants left over from the Soviet days.

I enjoy Baku█s seaside boulevard, and getting lost in the UNESCO listed walled medieval Old Town.

On the outskirts of the capital, I ventured past the oil fields to visit ancient petroglyphs at the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape; the bubbling mud volcanoes; Yanardag, a continuously blazing natural gas fire; and my favorite, the Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple Oktay has an impressive portfolio of documentary films.

He takes a sometimes esoteric, arthouse approach, to tackling serious subjects, often focused on individuals who are pushing boundaries to fight for their human rights.

He does this with love of country, and an aim to make society a better place for all to live.

What I admire most about Oktay as a filmmaker, is his ability to foster an intimacy within his subjects' personal lives.

{Film in Azerbaijani} "Teacher Mehraliyev" is a portrait of a school teacher, who was fired for exposing corruption.

The teacher unsuccessfully navigates the frustrating bureaucracy to try and fight a dismissal he sees as politically motivated.

"Albasha, Alisa, Berta, Jessy, Kazbek, and..." takes this intimacy and turns it towards one man's love of orphaned animals.

♪ music in Azerbaijani ♪ "Terpsichore" is a profile of a dancer, yet it's more of an allegory about freedom.

We see the liberation of a young Azerbaijani woman, who ever since childhood has expressed herself through dance.

The documentaries Oktay made as part of the Doc Nomad's program, feel especially personal, and are some of my favorites.

"I Could See The Gate Through the Window" is an experimental poetic piece, where Oktay, living abroad away from his wife and son, remembers some painful memories of a time when he was a boy, and his father was working abroad in Russia.

{film in Azerbaijani} Without stating it, I sense this reflection Oktay has of wanting to be a better father to his own son.

And "Labyrinth," Oktay's thesis film, set in Budapest, is a dual reflection of Oktay, as he is about to return home to Azerbaijan, and his Azerbaijani friend, who as a recently released from prison political exile, can never return home to Azerbaijan.

{film in Azerbaijani} Through his films, Oktay takes viewers on a tour throughout different spaces in Azerbaijan, from beautiful winter landscapes, to the kitchen of one's home.

He shows us what it means to be Azerbaijani, on a real life, day-to-day basis.

So we were talking about the fact that you are interested in making documentaries that are social justice, activism, maybe even politically oriented.

And so I was wondering if you felt safe tackling those topics here in Azerbaijan?

And if you have to get permission to film everything, how do you deal with with that?

Of course we struggle when we do these kind of projects.

It's not completely safe.

For example, the first project that we filmed, the topic was political prisoners, corruption, oil corruption, and so on.

The film was screened in Brussels...

The government, the State, got maybe pissed off, because of the screenings.

And my brother, who is in the military, also, he who works in military...

He was called to the Security Service and was told that, “You have to take care of your family member,” “one of your family members,” and he was really surprised: “What█s going on?” “I don't understand.” And he was told again, that, “Don't play fool.” “You know who, your brother.” “He works against the government.” Not the State, not this regime, but the government.

Of course we don't go that radical anymore.

I also have a family.

I also have kids, so I have to take into account all of these things.

If you do something political, or about social justice, and so on, if you do not hit on the target directly, if you do not call names, you don't get in trouble.

The big troubles.

But if you call names of officials or ministers, oligarchs, or someone, of course you are in trouble.

They'd be nice in the beginning.

They just warn you.

The second time, they warn you a little bit harder.

But the next time, for the third time, you don't have another choice.

So you also go behind bars.

I don't know.

We originally met Oktay through the recommendation of Elvin Adigozel, a filmmaker whose passion for moviemaking and improving his society shines through in every film reel and moment spent with him.

Elvin is an actor-turned -prolific film director, who has received prestigious nominations from international festivals, including Locarno's Golden Leopard Of The Present, Best Asian Short Film from Busan and Best Live Action Short from Estonia's Black Night Tallinn short film offshoot.

Elvin has directed several shorts, and at least three narrative films: "Chameleon," "Reporting from Darkness," and "Bilesuvar."

When I met Elvin, he was in pre-production of his next feature film, "Yashar,” about a 55-year-old unemployed roofer living with his wife in a remote Azerbaijani village.

When he's not writing and directing, Elvin is pursuing his first love: acting.

And appeared in the 2020 dramedy by Ru Hasanov, "The Island Within," which premiered at Sarajevo Film Festival.

I traveled to Elvin's hometown of Goranboy, an agricultural village 320km west of Baku.

Elvin loves to interact with his neighbors, all of whom he sees as potential characters in his movie scripts.

Most of all, Elvin's love for the matriarchs of his family is especially endearing.

I was greeted with immense hospitality from his loving mother, a pediatric nurse, and his grandmother, a former actress and literary teacher: a shining light in Elvin's life.

To welcome me to Azerbaijan, Elvin's mother made me a home cooked meal, the local specialty: a trio of stuffed vegetables, and baked me the most beautiful and tasty cake I have ever seen.

I will never forget them.

[Elvin] Since 2009, I started to make independent films.

I worked in the television channel; in the regional television channel in Baku.

And I met the very great people that I saw who, really, really sacrificed their time, and they really helped me, to make my films.

It was a time when, in Azerbaijan, people didn't think that independent cinema was possible.

Here, there isn█t any big film industry, or, the film shooting is not... how can I say, usual?

Maybe we can't change something inside of country.

But, we can capture all things for the future generations.

Elvin took us to the hospital his mother works at as a pediatric nurse.

She often works through the entire night.

When we arrived, Elvin was treated as a celebrity.

And you can see the growing pride his community has in his life as an Azerbaijani filmmaker.

[film in Azerbaijani] Sadly, in 2022, Elvin's beloved grandmother passed away.

Elvin turned his grief into a moving short about the legacy his grandmother left in his own life.

Now, Elvin strives even more to make it in the world of cinema.

A world in which his grandmother firmly believed he will shine brightly in.

As Azerbaijan was overcome by an oil boom, around the same time that early filmmaking was mesmerizing the world, It is not surprising that the earliest films from Azerbaijan were capturing the oil refineries.

A Frenchman who lived in Baku, Alexandre Michon, led the Circle Of Scientific Photographer Filmmakers, and some of his footage from "The Oil Gush FIre In Bibiheybat," was shown in 1995, at a 100-year anniversary of cinema retrospective in France.

In the early 1900s, especially during Azerbaijan's brief lived independence years, filmmakers were emerging in Baku.

Many from elsewhere in Europe, including the Prioni brothers of Belgium, who under the hat of Russian born director Boris Svetlov, produced "The Woman," "An Hour Before His Death," and "An Old Story In A New Manner."

Svetlov later directed a well known Azerbaijani silent film from 1916, "In the Kingdom of Oil and Millions," which featured celebrated actor Huseyn Arablinski, who was murdered shortly thereafter by his cousin.

Though the rumor mill blamed the government for his death.

In 1920, under the Soviets, a Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan created a film department.

And in 1922, Azerbaijan State Film Studio was established, now known as Azerbaijani Film, its first movie being "The Maiden Tower Legend.".

The 1930s, ‘40s, and █50s produced a lot of documentary films, and often focused on the life of workers and laborers.

Notable films since then include a short tragicomedy, "All For The Best," depicting the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"The Scoundrel", a feature comedy poking fun at Soviet-era decadent corruption, and "When the Persimmons Grew," a nearly dialogue-free documentary directed by Hilal Baydarov.

I was pleased to attend the 3rd Addition of Azerbaijan█s first independent film festival, Doku Baku, an international documentary focused festival, which is where I had the pleasure to first meet Oktay, who helps run the fest.

{Applause} Doku Baku is not your ordinary festival.

It is full of passionate, energetic Azerbaijaniani█s, aiming to create a lasting film community in Baku, and for the filmmakers of Azerbaijan.

As such, they hope to foster a documentary school to help train the next generation of Azerbaijani filmmakers, and to encourage a personal voice and perspective, in a country where independent thinking is often squashed.

And they really know how to party!

[Oktay] First of all, I like the name, title, seriously, Doku Baku, it sounds like, for me, it sounds cool.

[Stephanie] Talk about the theme a little bit.

The theme this year was “Truthfulness.” Making film, especially documentary filmmaking, is something about ethics and it's something about truth.

So how you represent the truth in your in your piece of work.

So it has a really strong connection to documentary filmmaking and truthfulness.

How honest you are to yourself and to your audience.

So I think that is the simple connection for me.

[Stephanie] You've traveled abroad, probably more than the average Azerbaijani, why come back here?

Why stay here if you could maybe move to another country that gives you the freedom to tell the stories you want to tell?

The great Abbas Kiarostami said that, “If you take out one tree from here and you plant it again a meter further, it won't grow as it was.” But if I want to make a film, a film about the people of this country, I feel that I need to stay in this country.

Otherwise I don't feel that close.

I can't also feel attached to other people in other countries.

This country needs more support from people like me who study abroad.

We need to come back and share what we know or share our knowledge, what we learned, and, and promote it together.

I can really take it, take it further.

[Elvin] If all filmmakers, who have some success, put their words on the table, and we will say that, “Okay, we want a normal cinema system, and we are protesting all, and if there are not any changes we will sleep on the street, or we will protest this.” All the media will start to write about this situation.

Then I am pretty sure that is, the head of the government will say that, “Let's talk with these people and change.” [Stephanie] Another organization fighting for the survival of independent cinema in Azerbaijan is Salaam Cinema, headed up by Leyli Gafarova.

Salaam Cinema is a community based theater space, which screens noncommercial, independent and historical films to support the local filmmaking community and its rich history.

In 2019, the building was about to be demolished, but Leyli and the community fought to save it by having a sit in and not letting the contractors tear it down.

This building is from 1913, when it was built as a Molokan prayer space.

Molokans were Russian Christian exiles who moved to Baku to practice their faith in freedom.

From 1926 until the early 90s, the building was used as a Soviet radio station.

There's a lot of heritage and symbolism within these walls.

[Stephanie] What type of Azerbaijan do you wish that your son's generation will have?

[Oktay] It may sound a little bit cliche, but of course more freedom of speech, or generally freedom.

Freedom is necessary.

No one can say that they're against it.

Freedom is necessary.

[Stephanie] Do you have hope for that change?

[Oktay] Good things will happen.

Maybe in ten years, maybe in 15 years, maybe 20, 25, I don't know, but it will change.

Azerbaijan was a normal country until the Soviet Union occupied.

In 70 years, we became almost slaves.

And we are just 20-years-old, 25-years-old as a country.

So we need some time, to improve, to develop, to become a “normal” country with the human rights.

[Elvin] I can't.

I can't cut my roots.

And it's a struggle for me.

And I know that, I will suffer, and I don't know when it will change.

But, I am still here, and I am fighting, and I never will leave my country.

And I think I will win.

We will win, but if it is sooner or later, I can't say.

I can't say, but I can only say that, if we will believe, tomorrow will be better, we can succeed.

Oktay, Elvin, and the Azerbaijani cinema movement they represent, have inspired me tremendously.

They each have managed to fight the good fight in favor of making movies, seeking the truth, telling their stories, and asserting their voices.

They have decided to make films in Azerbaijan, to represent a culture and people they love.

By not only writing and directing their films, but by getting their movies made, which is often the toughest battle, they are giving hope to future generations of filmmakers, and granting a voice to the citizens of Azerbaijan.

♪ ♪ To learn more about the Cinema Nomad filmmakers, and dive deeper into the exciting world of global cinema, visit our website, CinemaNomad.TV