Famous Turkish Actor to Star in Movie Ali and Nino

Halit Ergenc - one of the most famous and popular Turkish actors would start in the feature film "Ali and Nino", the newspaper Hurriyet reported.

The general filming will take 11 weeks, of which three weeks will be held in Istanbul.

The filming began in Baku on February 24 and should be completed in mid-May.

What kind of role will be performed by Ergenc is not reported. However, in the film there are three main roles - Ali Shirvanshir, Nino Kipiani and Melik Nahararyan.

Halit Ergenç’s age is not suitable for the role of Nahararyan and most likely he will play Ali’s father.

It is noteworthy that the driving force in this project is the Indian filmmakers living in England. In particular, it is directed by Asif Kapadia. He is best known as the author of a number of films made by Indians in the UK.

Ali’s role will be performed by Adam Bakri – an ethnic Arab, originally from Israel. For the role of Nino the producers invited a Spanish actress Maria Valverde. Her parents will be played by Mandy Petinkin and Connie Nielsen.

From the Azerbaijani actors involved in the film is Fakhraddin Manafov. For the other roles Riccardo Scamarcio, Humayon Ershardi, Assaad Buab and Numan Acar are invited.

The screenwriter of the film is a famous British writer and director Christopher Hampton and the producer is Chris Taker. The filming is financed by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, while the project budget is not reported.

* The novel Ali and Nino was published in 1937 in Germany in German and very soon it was translated into many languages.

The events unfold in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Persia immediately after the First World War. Against the background of bloodshed, wars and unrest unfolding is a love triangle involving Nino Kipiani, Ali Khan Shirvanshir  and Malik Nahararyan.

Ali and Nino is a story of love of an Azerbaijani youth and a Georgian girl in pre-revolutionary Baku. The novel  very colorfully described political, ethnic and cultural life of the oil capital of the world of the early 20^th century. The main events take place in the Inner City - Baku's historic center.

The current situation in the South Caucasus in many ways is reminiscent of the events of 100 years ago with wars, international conflicts and the oil boom.

** There is no accurate information about the identity of the author of the novel, Gurban Said or Mohammed Asad Bey. Most researchers believe that the real name of the author is Leo Nossenbaum. He was born in Azerbaijan and after the revolution he migrated to Germany with his relatives. In Berlin, he graduated from high school and university. He then worked in the newspaper World Literature. He knew Turkish, Persian, Russian and Arabic.

In 1929, he wrote a book Oil and Blood in the East. Later he published a number of other works. When Germany began the persecution of the Jews, Nossenbaum concealed his origin under the pseudonym Kurban Said.

However, in Azerbaijan, there many of those who believe that Kurban Said is an alias of Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli. -02D-