Legendary Azerbaijani Musical Comedy Film “Arşın Mal Alan” to premier in Hollywood

The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles will hold the first-time ever screening of Azerbaijan’s iconic and world-famous musical comedy film “Arşın Mal Alan” (Cloth Peddler) in Hollywood on September 19, 2015.

The screening will take place at the historic Ricardo Montalban Theater, which is one of the oldest and most renowned movie theaters in Hollywood. Built in 1926, the theater is also known as the first fully-automated cinema.

The Cloth Peddler/Arşın Mal Alan is a film adaptation of the comic and romantic operetta of the same name, which was composed by the founder of Azerbaijani opera and classical music Uzeyir Hajibeyli and premiered in Azerbaijan in 1913, thus becoming the first operetta in the entire Muslim world. Shot in 1945 and characterized by witty plot, amazing music, great singing and acting, the film quickly became a box office sensation. It remains an important cultural touchstone across Eurasia and beyond having been distributed in 86 languages and shown in 136 countries. The film is about pure love, women’s rights, and a young couple’s dreams for a modern way of life free of restricting customs.

In 2013, the film was perfectly remastered and colorized in Hollywood at the initiative and with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation of Azerbaijan. The screening in Hollywood will be be the first-ever U.S. screening of the remastered and colorized version of this legendary movie.

The show is dedicated to the 130th birthday anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli and 70th anniversary of the film.

A short video clip prepared by Azerbaijan’s Consulate General on this occasion can be watched here: