Shamil Kamil oglu Najafzada was born on November 13, 1960 in Baku, Azerbaijan. He started drawing, writing and shooting films (8 mm films) almost at the same time, because his father - a painter and an art director, professor, National Artist of Azerbaijan, the laureate of the State prizes had a big influence on his son.

Since 1978 after graduating from the Azerbaijan State Art School, he enters the All Union State Institute of Cinema in Moscow city, majoring in art director.

nkshamil@yahoo.com

While getting educated in the shop of the National Artist of USSR, professor Mikhael Bogdanov (art director of movies “War and Peace”, “Communist”), he also attends the film directing classes and actor classes of the National Actors of the USSR conducted by Sergey Gerasimov and Yevgeniy Matveyev.

As a student, Shamil Najafzada participated in state and all union exhibitions of art. In 1984 after graduating from his university with honors, he gets a job in the “Azerbaijanfilm” film studio. He has participated in the creation of 7 movies as an art-director.

Starting from 1990 he starts to work as a film-director of feature, documentary and animated films, mainly by his own script. He prefers “plastic” cinema when shooting an “author’s movie”.

He has Certificate of recognition of the Imaginary Film Academy (1999, Croatia).

He was awarded by Prize for the "Best visual-plastic decision" of the 5-th International Film Festival of Independent Movie (2002, St. Petersburg, Russia, for the film "Leyli and Mejnun")
Special Prize for the "Best documentary - for an individual approach to disability problem" of the 2 European Film Festival Integration "You and Me" (June 15-19, 2004, Kolobrzeg, Poland, for the film "Short Monologues")
Prize for the "Best debut" of the "KROK" animated film festival (ASIFA, 1991, Ukraine, for the film "Dedication")
Prize for the "Best documentary" of the Film Festival "Spring of Firuza" (1993, Turkmenistan, for the film "Black and White World")
Prize for the "Best animated film" of the Film Festival "A View from the East" (1992, Azerbaijan, for the film "Dedication")
The Professional Prize of the Filmmakers' Union of Azerbaijan (1996, for the film "Yarasa")

His films have taken part in the international film festivals in Germany, France, USA, Finland, Holland, Latvia, Russia, Turkey, Romania, and Ukraine.

In his art he grasps different genres, but he prefers portraits that are psychological, that express the inner world of the person in the portrait.

His paintings were exhibited in Germany, France, Turkey, and Russia.

In 1995-1998 as a producer of the Creative Union "Sabakh" of the Azerbaijan State Tele-Radio broadcasting company he was the head of the debut projects creation.

In 1999 as a General Producer he participated in the creation of an independent television channel "ABA".

In 2000 he works as the General Producer of the independent television company ANS and instructs the creation of the new television projects.

In 2004 as a General Director of the "Simurg" independent film studio.

From 1998 he teaches in the State Art University. He is the Secretary of the Filmmakers' Union of Azerbaijan; the member of the Artist Union; the member of the Film Directors Guild of Azerbaijan.

1990- animated film- “Dedication”
1991- documentary “Black and White World”
1993- documentary “Touch”
1994- documentary “Then tomorrow comes”
1995- A photoplay movie “The King dies”
1996- A feature film-opera “Leili and Majnun”
1998- A short fiction film “Hotdog”
1999- documentary “A man from a white canvas”
2000- documentary “Not children stories”
2002- documentary “Pilgrim”
2003- documentary “Short monologues”
2003- documentary “The poet of heavens”
2004- documentary “Heritage”