Nizami Cinema

Nizami Cinema Center is a historic multiscreen cinema in Baku, Azerbaijan. Originally built in 1940, it is among the country's oldest purpose-built cinema venues and takes its name from the celebrated Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi. During the Soviet period, the venue served not only as a place for regular film screenings but also as a setting for film festivals and premieres involving Azerbaijani and international filmmaking. The cinema's role diminished during the social and economic difficulties of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when attendance at cinemas weakened. From the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, however, Azerbaijan's cinema market began to recover. New venues introduced modern projection, sound, and presentation technologies, helping make theatrical filmgoing attractive again to residents and visitors. Nizami Cinema was subsequently renovated as part of Azerbaijan's State Program on the Development of Azerbaijani Cinema for 2008–2018. Following that work, it reopened to the public in 2011 and received the status of cinema center. The reopened venue combines conventional theatrical exhibition with facilities intended for premieres, festivals, and cultural events. Its program has included opening nights for Azerbaijani films, previews of films in the current schedule, international releases, and three-dimensional presentations. The building contains several screening rooms of different sizes. Two smaller rooms on the ground floor seat 50 and 80 people, while a larger first-floor auditorium seats 500 and has an 18-metre-wide screen, described in reference material as one of the largest cinema screens in the South Caucasus. A 24-seat VIP room is located on the fourth floor. Nizami Cinema Center is more than a screening venue. Its building includes commercial kiosks, cafés, a coffee club, a press center, offices, and a two-storey restaurant with seating for approximately 250 people. The restaurant's roof can open and close according to the season. This combination of cinema, hospitality, and event facilities supports the center's role as a prominent film and cultural venue in Baku. Public information in the supplied references does not identify a founder, corporate parent, owner, current executives, financial results, or an official active website.

Nizami Cinema Center was built in Baku in 1940 and became one of the early major cinema venues in Azerbaijan. It was named after Nizami Ganjavi, the medieval Azerbaijani poet whose name is widely associated with Azerbaijani literary and cultural heritage. In the Soviet era, the cinema hosted film festivals and premieres of new works from both domestic and foreign filmmakers, giving it a role that extended beyond routine commercial exhibition. The venue's importance was affected by the broader decline in cinema attendance during the difficult political and economic period spanning the late 1980s and early 1990s. The weakening of interest in theatrical filmgoing was followed by a gradual revival from the late 1990s through the early 2000s, when newly emerging cinemas in Azerbaijan adopted improved projection and sound systems and began showing current international releases. These developments helped restore cinemas as destinations for local audiences and tourists. Nizami Cinema was comprehensively renovated under Azerbaijan's State Program on the Development of Azerbaijani Cinema for 2008–2018. The renovation modernized the venue and enabled it to function as a contemporary multiscreen cinema while retaining its historic institutional identity. It reopened in 2011 and was subsequently described as a cinema center. Its renewed program included national-film opening nights, previews of films in the regular program, international releases, and 3-D screenings. The building's post-renovation configuration includes two small screening rooms on the ground floor, with capacities of 50 and 80 seats, and a 500-seat main hall on the first floor. The main hall has an 18-metre-wide screen, identified in the supplied reference material as one of the largest in the South Caucasus. A 24-seat VIP room is located on the fourth floor. The center also includes kiosks, cafés, a coffee club, a press center, offices, and a two-level restaurant with approximately 250 seats. The restaurant has a mechanically opening and closing roof designed to respond to seasonal conditions. Together, these facilities position Nizami Cinema Center as both a cinema and a cultural-event venue. Its historical association with film festivals and premieres, combined with its modernized screening infrastructure, allows it to serve national cinema, international releases, special previews, and public cultural programming. The available reference material does not provide details about the venue's legal ownership, management structure, financial performance, or post-2011 operating milestones.

• 2011

  Reopened after renovation

  [1]Nizami Cinema Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Following renovation under the national cinema-development program for 2008–2018, the venue reopened and adopted the status of cinema center.

• 1940

  Cinema building constructed

  [1]Nizami Cinema Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The cinema was built in Baku and became one of the country's oldest cinema venues.

• Soviet-era festival and premiere venue

  [1]Nizami Cinema Centeren.wikipedia.org

  During the Soviet period, the cinema hosted film festivals and premieres of Azerbaijani and foreign films.

A historic Baku cinema center combining national film culture, contemporary theatrical exhibition, premieres, and hospitality facilities.

• Cinema auditorium · 2011

  Main Cinema Hall

  The main auditorium is located on the first floor and seats 500 people. Its screen is 18 metres wide, making it one of the largest cinema screens in the South Caucasus according to the supplied reference material. The hall is equipped for contemporary film projection and sound presentation and is used for major screenings, premieres, and special programs.

• Cinema auditoriums · 2011

  Small Screening Rooms

  Two smaller screening rooms on the ground floor provide capacities of 50 and 80 seats. Their scale supports regular programming, previews, and smaller events alongside the larger main auditorium. The rooms form part of the center's post-renovation multiscreen configuration.

• Premium cinema auditorium · 2011

  VIP Screening Room

  The VIP room on the fourth floor seats 24 people. It provides a smaller premium setting within the cinema center and complements the venue's larger public auditoriums and event facilities.

• Cultural and film events

  Film Premiere and Festival Program

  Nizami Cinema Center hosts opening nights for Azerbaijani films, previews of films in its current program, and screenings of films from other countries. Its historical use for festivals and premieres remains an important part of the venue's cultural role.

• 2011

  Reopening as a modern cinema centerStrategy

  Background

  The venue underwent extensive renovation as part of Azerbaijan's State Program on the Development of Azerbaijani Cinema for 2008–2018, following a period when cinema attendance had weakened and newer venues were introducing modern technology.

  Action taken

  Nizami Cinema reopened with multiple auditoriums, updated projection and sound facilities, a large main screen, and additional hospitality and event spaces.

  Aftermath

  The venue resumed public operations and expanded its role from a traditional cinema into a cinema center capable of hosting national premieres, international releases, previews, and 3-D screenings.

  Source

1. 1Nizami Cinema Centeren.wikipedia.org