By: Shervin Najafpur
“The flag once raised will never fall!” is an expression written in gold in Azerbaijan’s national history by Mammad Amin Resulzade who was the founder of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918.
This was the very expression sounded by many Azerbaijanis across the world encouraging them to be proud of their country and nation, who made its historic dream a reality.
105 years ago, on May 28 Azerbaijan established its Democratic Republic — the first secular state in the Muslim East. It was Mammad Amin Rasulzade, the brightest and most prominent political figure during those times and the ideological leader of the revolutionary nationalist movement in Azerbaijan, who declared Azerbaijan’s independence and adopted the Declaration of Independence.
On the occasion of his 139th birth anniversary, a documentary film was dedicated to commemorated the legacy he has left Azerbaijan.
The documentary film produced by Caspian Media Group was premiered on January 31st 2023 at Park Cinema in Flame Towers, Baku, Azerbaijan. The premiere was attended by Azerbaijani intellectuals, historians, media and art representatives and a large number of celebrities.
The producer and project manager, Huseyn Javadzadeh welcomed all the guests and gave the opening speech to Rais Rasulzade, the grandson of M.A. Rasulzade who was applauded with a standing ovation. Rais Rasulzade expressed how thankful he is for the deep and sincere love shown to his grandfather. You could see that he was moved and his voice was filled with gratitude and pride.
Later, Huseyn Javadzadeh, the project manager of “Secrets of a Hundred Years” a program broadcast on AzTV which highlights great and historical personalities of Azerbaijan, said in his speech, “I am once again convinced today that Resulzade is the sincerest love of the Azerbaijani people. I thank each of you for attending”.
After the screening all the guests expressed their sincere positive opinions regarding the documentary film, and it became a social media and traditional media sensation. The screening was originally planned to be screened for two days in one movie theater. After enormous positive response and high demand, the documentary film about Mammad Amin Resulzade will be screened in more movie theaters and for a few more days. The producer Huseyn Javadzadeh has also stated that it will be available online within the next months for Azerbaijanis living outside of Azerbaijan’s boarders to enjoy.
It is important to mention that Caspian Media Group has spent many months researching the life story of Mammad Amin Rasulzade and traveled to film in Germany, Poland and Türkiye. They have also revealed a large number of never-before-seen archival documents, pictures and private videos in this documantary. Huseyn Javadzadeh has done an incredible job and even included interviews of local and foreign researchers.
One cannot go without mentioning how his legacy has been persevered by the Azerbaijani Government as well. On December 29, 1993, Late President Heydar Aliyev issued an order on “marking 110th anniversary of public figure Mammad Amin Rasulzade”. On November 22, 2013, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued an order on marking the 130th anniversary of Mammad Amin Rasulzade. According to the order, jubilee events were held in the country and abroad.
When President Ilham Aliyev declared 2018 the “Year of the Republic” on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, he said “We owe to Resulzade our country’s past and present” and underlined that it is important especially for the younger generations to know their history and roots.