Baku, September 4, 2025
Azerbaijan has submitted the feature film Taghiyev: Oil (Tağıyev: Neft) for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.
According to filmmaker Shamil Aliyev, who chairs Azerbaijan’s National Film Selection Committee, the longlist in this category will be announced in October, followed by the shortlist in December. Final nominations are scheduled for January 2026, and the Oscars ceremony will take place in Los Angeles in March.
The film was produced by Baku Media Center with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, and the Cinema Agency of Azerbaijan. Taghiyev: Oil is the first installment of a multi-part project dedicated to the life of oil baron and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, a key figure in Azerbaijan’s history at the turn of the 20th century.
The production highlights Taghiyev’s contributions, including the founding of the first secular girls’ school in the Muslim East, his role in developing Azerbaijan’s oil industry, and his investments in Baku’s urban infrastructure.
The scale of the film is unprecedented in Azerbaijani cinema. Shooting took place at 76 locations, with about 2,500 cast and crew involved in large-scale scenes. More than 300 sets were built, and a special costume workshop produced historically accurate garments, jewelry, and props to reflect the era.
The film’s general producer is Arzu Aliyeva, producer Orman Aliyev, and director Zaur Gasimli. The screenplay was written by Ismayil Iman, Asif Iskanderli, and Zaur Gasimli. Other key contributors include cinematographer Vladimir Artemyev, production designer Sabukhi Atababaev, costume designer Vusal Rahim, and composer Etibar Asadli.
Prominent Azerbaijani actors play the leading roles, including People’s Artists Parviz Mamedrzayev as Taghiyev and Gurban Ismayilov, along with Honored Artists Rasim Jafar, Elshan Rustamov, and Natavan Hajiyeva.
