film director
(22.03.1893 – 16.11.1938)

Abbas Mirza Sharifzade son of Abdulrasul was born into an intellectual family in Upper Gala neighborhood of Shamakhi. After the earthquake in Shamakhi in 1902, his family moved to Baku. Abbas Mirza was introduced to the concept of spectacle for the first time thanks to his uncle Mirza Mammad Taghi. Mirza Mammad Taghi, who showed a tendency to theater art, prepared religious performances. One day, he assigned the role of a captive girl in the play “Shabeh” to his nephew Abbas. As for Abbas Mirza Sharifzade’s stage activity, he first played an episodic role in Moliere’s “The Violent Physician” in 1908. Two years later, he was accepted into the theater collective created under the “Maarif” society. Since 1910, Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh, who performed in the theater troupes of “Safa” and “Nijat” societies, created his first image in 1911, which confirmed him as an artist. This was the character of Qajar, the main hero of Abdurahim Bey Hagverdiyev’s tragedy “Agha Muhammad Shah Qajar”. In 1916, Abbas Mirza Sharifzade was invited to the troupe of the Hajibeyov brothers as a director. A year later, he was elected chairman of the “Union of Muslim Artists”. By creating a theater studio under the Union, he took the first initiative in the field of theater education in the country. Abbas Mirza Sharifzade played Hamlet for the first time on the stage of the Azerbaijani theater (1927). In 1929, Sharifzade won the first place in the All-Union competition of playing the roles of Othello and Hamlet in Moscow. He is also considered one of the first Azerbaijani directors. He staged the works “Sheikh Sanan”, “Ogtay Eloglu”, “Aydin”, “Agha Muhammad Shah Qajar”, “Gachaq Karam” and performed the operas “Leyli and Majnun”, “Asli and Karam”, “Ashiq Garib”, “Shah Ismail” was the production director.

His name is among the first in the history of Azerbaijani film art. He was the first national film director. Honored Artist of the Republic (1928), People’s Artist of Azerbaijan (1936) Abbas Mirza Sharifzade was arrested in 1937. On October 19, 1938, he was sentenced to be shot “for espionage”. The sentence was executed on November 16.Director and actor Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh is the husband of actress Marziya Davudova.Director and actor Abbas Mirza Sharifzade is the father of actress Firangiz Sharifova.Abbas Mirza Sharifzade’s website: http://abbasmirzasharifzade.info

1. https://azlogos.eu/abbas-mirz%C9%99-s%C9%99rifzad%C9%99nin-gull%C9%99l%C9%99nm%C9%99si/
2. http://www.anl.az/down/meqale/sherq/2011/may/el05.htm
3. https://525.az/news/110205-azerbaycan-teatri-ve-kinosunun-serifzade-fenomeni-cavid-qedir-yazir
4. https://kulis.az/xeber/media/ad-gununde-hebs-olundu-sebebsiz-yere-gullelendi-olumu-ailesinden-gizledildi-serifzadenin-facievi-heyati-39845

FILMOGRAPHY:

1. 1. Prince Damir Bulat (1916, full length feature film) – actor
   2. Travel to Azerbaijan (1924, short documentary film) – director, artistic guiding
   3. Owl (1924, full length feature film) – actor (khan)
   4. In the name of God (1925, full length feature film) – director, fitter
   5. An eye for an eye (1925, full length feature film) – actor
   6. Lamentation (1925, short documentary film) – director
   7. Hadji Gara (1928, full length feature film) – director, director of montage
   8. Love’s play (1935, full length feature film) – director, fitter