Abdulahad Abdullayev

Abdulahad Abdullayevich Abdullayev was born in 1928 in Margilan, in the Fergana region. He is known as an art historian, a translator and a head of cultural and film institutions.

In 1951 he graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies of Tashkent State University (named after V. I. Lenin, now the National University of Uzbekistan). He then worked within the Ministry of Culture of the Uzbek SSR, where he headed the department of personnel and educational institutions, served as a deputy and led the Arts Directorate.

In the following years he headed the script department of the Uzbekfilm studio, was a senior referent in the culture department of the Uzbek SSR Council of Ministers’ administration, directed the Hamza Academic Drama Theatre (since 2001 the Uzbek National Academic Drama Theatre) and then became director of Uzbekfilm.

From 1974 Abdullayev was chairman of the State Committee for Cinematography of the Uzbek SSR. At the same time he served as Director General of the Tashkent International Film Festival of Asian, African and Latin American Countries.

He translated fiction into Uzbek. His books on the history of cinema include “Essays on the History of Uzbekistan’s Film Dramaturgy” (1963), “Fifty Years of Uzbek Cinema” (1976), a collection of festival materials entitled “The Fighting Screen” (1980) and “Films and Years” (1980).

For his service he twice received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, as well as honorary certificates of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR.