Azerbaijan's Ali and Nino movie starts on UAE cinema screens

Cine Royale and Vox cinema chains of UAE start the show of movie Ali and Nino from today. Language is original English with Arabic subtitles.

Ambassador Dashgin Shikarov and diplomats of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Abu Dhabi watched the premiere of the movie on Vox cinema's Yas Mall screen.

The film portrays the torrid romance between a Muslim Azerbaijani young man and a Christian Georgian girl in Baku during the period 1918–20. It depicts pre-Soviet Azerbaijan, touching upon the political processes occurring in Azerbaijan before and after the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918). This breathtaking story traverses political, geographic, and religious divides and shows challenges the two young people face on the edge of eras, of West and East, and of Islam and Christianity.

Ali and Nino is based on the novel – an acclaimed international bestseller of the same name – first published in 1937. Ali and Nino was written (originally in German) by the enigmatic Kurban Said, and is currently in the public eye due to this Hollywood adaptation, which has been directed by British Academy Award-Winning director Asif Kapadia. The movie’s producer is Kris Thykier.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva is the executive producer of the movie.

The film was shot in various parts of Baku, as well as in the streets of the historical Old City, Gobustan, Khinalig, Ganja and Gadabay regions.

Starring in the film are Adam Bakri as Ali and María Valverde as Nino. Other actors are Halit Ergenc, Mendy Petinkin, Connie Nielson, Riccardo Skamarchio, Homayon Ershadi, Fakhraddin Manafov, Assaad Bab, Numan Acar and others.

Premiere of the movie took place on October 5, 2016 in Baku, Heydar Aliyev center, while the European premiere has been held at the “Kinepolis” theatre in Luxembourg.