Shabbat Dinner at the Abishoor Family

On Friday, April 25, 2025, Vugar Gurbanov, Azerbaijan Consul General in Los Angeles and wife Nurida and consulate staff attended a Shabbat dinner at the Abishoor family, Los Angeles, California. It has become a tradition to have the Consul General of Azerbaijan a guest at the Abishoor home where the guests get to know the official envoy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to West Coast United States.

Vugar Gurbanov, Azerbaijan Consul General in Los Angeles (L) with guest Joseph (Joe) Alexander, 101-year-old Holocaust survivor

Vugar Gurbanov, Azerbaijan Consul General in Los Angeles, wife Nurida, Gasim Shirinli, consulate’s spokesperson[left], Ramiz Dashdamirov, consul [2nd row center] with Joseph (Joe) Alexander, 101-year-old Holocaust survivor

A group photo of the hosts and all the guests

For movie goers: Azerbaijani production film premier: Doğma Torpaq – ‘Motherland’ (Native Land)

A lesson humanity has not learned yet: what happened in the 20th century repeats itself in the 21st century; different place same acts of incomprehensible cruelty.

The premier screening and gala for the film Doğma Torpaq was held on Friday, April 18, 2025, at the Nizami Cinema Center, Baku, Azerbaijan.

Doğma Torpaq, translates to “Motherland”, is a full-length feature film, an epic war-drama, script written and directed by Ilgar (Safat) Mammadov (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4049153/), general producer Nariman Mamedov (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4036355/).

Left: Nariman Mamedov, general producer right Ilgar (Safat) Mammadov, screenwriter/director

Production of the film, which took five years to complete, received the financial support of Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture, the Film Agency of the Film Agency of Azerbaijan and the Narimanfilm (https://narimanfilm.az/) film studio, took place at the Nizami cinema.

Among the dignitaries who attended the premier were Mr. Adil Karimli, Azerbaijan Minister of Culture, Sabina Aliyeva, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan, Bahar Muradova, the Chairman of the State Committee for Family, Milli Majlis , Women and Children Affairs, the Deputy Chairman, Academician Rafael Huseynov, the First Secretary of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan, People’s Artist Shafiga Mammadova, science and culture prominent figures of and movie goers.

from left to right: Hijran Kamran ghizi HUSEYNOVA – member of Azerbaijan’s Parliament; Sabina Aliyeva, ⁠Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan; Adil Karimli, Minister of Culture; Shafiga Mamedova, First Secretary of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan, People’s Artist; Bakhar Muradova, ⁠Chairman of the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Issues;

Noteworthy, for the first time a film’s production’s work took place in the city of Shusha, located in the territory which Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation. The film was also shot in Azerbaijan’s capital the city of Baku, Gobustan, Guba, Barda, Zagatala and Gakh.

The film covers Azerbaijan’s modern history three key events: the expulsion of Azerbaijani compatriots from historical Azerbaijani lands, now the territory of Armenia; the First Karabakh War, including the massacre that took place in the City of Khojaly; the triumphant victory of Azerbaijan during the 2020 44-day Second Karabakh War.

The film’s plot unfolds in 1992, when the independent Republic of Azerbaijan was fighting against Armenian separatists in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Journalist Miranda, played by Russian actress Alina Vorontsova, arrives from London to Azerbaijan to film a documentary about the Caucasian leopard. Fate brings her together with the intelligence officer Emil, played by Azerbaijan actor Rustam Jabrailov, and together they go through many trials and tribulations.

The audience received the film “Doğma torpaq” with great interest and excitement which they perceived as an artistic reflection of difficult but glorious milestones in Azerbaijan’s modern history. The premiere ended with the spectators’ standing ovation.

The film creators plan to show the film in a number of foreign countries, as well submit it to be shown and compete for a prize in international film festivals.

The film “Doğma torpaq” wide release will begin on April 24, 2025, in movie theaters across the Republic of Azerbaijan.

the film “Doğma torpaq”entire crew with Ilgar (Safat) Mammadov, screenwriter/director in front.

New film: Doğma Torpaq – ‘Motherland’ (Native Land)

By Nariman Film Production Company, Azerbaijan

During the winter of 1991–1992 more than 600 Azerbaijanis, most of them civilians, were killed by Armenian forces during a bloody February 26, 1992, invasion and engagement in Nagorno-Karabakh town of Khojali.

Pursuant to this war, close to one million Azerbaijanis became internal refugees, displaced in their own homeland and Nagorno-Karabakh region was illegally occupied by Armenia for three long decades.

Dogma Torpaq Motherland

1992; independent Azerbaijan is fighting separatists in Karabakh.

Journalist Miranda arrives from London to shoot a documentary about the Caucasian leopard. Fate brings her together with the scout Emil. Together, they go through difficult trials, during which Miranda learns a lot both about the Caucasian leopard and about the tragic pages of Azerbaijan’s recent history.

Albert Agarunov, one of the film’s heroes, is the national hero of Azerbaijan, the glorious son of Azerbaijan’s Jewish community.

Film: Doğma Torpaq

Producer: Nariman Mammadov

Director and scriptwriter: Ilgar (Safat) Mammadov

Trailer, watch here:

COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan, November 11th-22nd, 2024

Azerbaijan hosted the COP29 United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

USAZCF president Nurit Greenger with Mr. Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to Mr, Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

COP29 venue

Nurit Greenger, US-AZ Cultural Foundation at the entrance to the COP29 venue.

COP29 Azerbaijan pavilion.

COP29 media center.

At COP29 Azerbaijan pavilion tea for the guests

Azerbaijan is proud of its wine and alcohol beverages displayed at COP29

Spotless COP29 venue with the help of the cleaning ladies.

At COP29 an outlook of reality on the world: the fat and rich ride and impact justice on the poor and thin.

COP29 dedicated taxi service

Young climate leaders attended, proving that age is no barrier to environmental advocacy. Among them were three Chinese students and a Saudi Arabian student. All four said they are passionate about tackling climate challenges and envisioning a cleaner, greener future.

Leonardo (Naduo Lai), (11), Iris (Ziqi Wu), (10), and Nuo (Nuo Lai), (9), are whiz kids, pupils at an international school of learning; their heart is in preserving the world, sub-subject is climate challenges.

China youth at COP29

Farid, a nine-year-old whizz-kid from Saudi Arabia attends an international school and spoke abour the climate challenges Saudi Arabia faces and the measures the country is taking to help remedy the situation.

Farid from Saudia Arablia attended COP29.

IBD Annual Event

At the IDB (Israel Discount Bank) annual event, at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, California. From Left, Ramil Gurbanov, Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angels, Nurit Greenger, President, US-AZ Cultural Foundation (USAZCF) and Ramiz Dashdamirov, Deputy Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles – May 28, 2024

In the Blink of an Eye

Our, US-AZ Cultural Foundation, mission, started on December 18, 2022, ending on December 22, 2022, to accompany Azerbaijani wounded soldier Arif Hajiyev to Israel so he could thank, in person, the family of the person his cornea he received in a transplant operation by doctor Yishai Falick, has been accomplished.

The emotional visit will be made into a documentary, which will carry the title: “Through The Blink Of An Eye.” The title is based on the Hebrew expressionבָּבַת עֵינוֹ” “, spelling in English: Bavat Eino; English translation for Bavat Eino: the most precious thing to a person, the most important thing to him/her, the apple of one’s eye.

Judaism, Torah and the core belief in God have served as pillars of morality for all of mankind and the nation of Israel and their nation state Israel have played and contine to play the role of representing these values.

Our goal is to fulfill a wounded soldier’s wish BECAUSE “the greatest thing in the world is to do someone else a favor and fulfill his/her wish” AND “a promise made is a promise met and kept” and we have made a promise to this wounded soldier. We are therefore seeking the public’s help to MATCH FUNDS through the GoFundMe appeal.

GoFundMe

“A wounded soldier wishes to thank, face to face, his eye cornea donor, which gave him back his eyesight, so he is seeking the public’s partnership to help him make his wish come true.

Our help is needed to help implement this Humanitarian Spirit Virtue action so badly is missing in society these days.

He – a brave Azerbaijani soldier – who lost his eyesight in one eye when he fought a fair and square war between countries.

He – an Israeli doctor who operated, as a humanitarian gesture, on this Azerbaijani soldier’s eye, transplanted in his wounded eye a cornea donated by the Israeli cornea bank, Israel.

This successful cornea transplant operation was part of a team of Israeli ophthalmology doctors humanitarian gesture who arrived in Azerbaijan and treated 150 eyes-wounded Azerbaijani veterans.

Unfortunately, the operating doctor had to leave Azerbaijan, back to Israel, before the patient soldier, for whom we are raising these funds, could adequately thank his doctor. The soldier, now enjoying full eyesight in his wounded eye, wants to travel from Azerbaijan to Israel to properly thank his doctor and meet – face to face – his cornea donor’s family.

We therefore want to make the soldier’s wish come true.

We have already received a generous contribution in the amount of $10,000, from ‘The State Committee for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan’, and we, therefore, ask the public to come up with the $10,000 matching funds needed.

All that is done here is for the sake of people helping people, along with the most appreciated humanitarian spirit act.”