Feature film · Visual effects · Behind the scenes

44: from the set to the premiere in Baku

Premiered on 12 October 2026. In cinemas across Azerbaijan from 15 October.

Above: at the world premiere of 44, Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, 12 October 2026. Front row, right of centre, from left: directors Max Smetana and Ismayil Safarali. Photo: Azertag.az

World premiereHeydar Aliyev CenterBaku 12.10.2026In cinemasAcross AzerbaijanFrom 15.10.2026VFX supervisionAll visual effectsUMP StudioShot over 14 months130+ locationsAcross AzerbaijanOn screen2,500 servicemen455 crewInternational team13 countriesUkraine and Estonia among them

On 12 October 2026 the feature film 44 premiered at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, and on 15 October it opens in cinemas across Azerbaijan. For UMP Studio this is a film we will always remember: for the scale of the work, for a country that welcomed us, and for the people we made it with.

Thank you, Azerbaijan. It has been a great honour for our team to take part in a project of this scale. We are grateful for the trust placed in us, for the warm welcome we received on set and in Baku, and for the chance to help bring this story to the screen.

Premiere night

The premiere brought together public figures, leading names from Azerbaijani culture and the arts, and the cast and crew of the film. The screening at the Heydar Aliyev Center was accompanied by a live orchestra and ended with a standing ovation.

The 44 title on screen at the Heydar Aliyev CenterThe film on the big screen with a live orchestraA battle scene from 44 on the premiere screenStanding ovation after the screeningThe team of 44 at the premiere backdropCast and crew at the premiere backdropGuests in the foyer of the Heydar Aliyev CenterThe premiere crowd in the foyer

Photos: Qafqazinfo.az

On set

44 took five years to make: two years of writing, a year of pre-production, 14 months of shooting at more than 130 locations and a full year of post-production. 2,500 servicemen, 32 lead actors, more than 1,100 supporting actors and about 2,000 extras appear on screen, with a core crew of 455 people. Specialists from 13 countries worked on the film, our team from Ukraine and Estonia among them.

A lot of the visual effects work on 44 started long before post-production. On the airfield set the production built a blue-screen wall the full length of a hangar, lifted an An-2 aircraft on a crane and brought in a camera crane to move freely around it. Every setup like this is planned so that the shot and the effects meet without a seam later on.

UMP Studio was responsible for the VFX supervision and all the visual effects of 44, from planning on set to the final shots on screen: explosions, armoured vehicles in action, aircraft and large-scale battle scenes built to live naturally next to the footage shot on location. Just as on U Are the Universe, winner of the Golden Dzyga 2026 for Best Special Effects, our team carried the visual effects of the film from start to finish.

Making of: the airfield set

Making of: raising the blue screen

An-2 aircraft in front of the blue-screen wall on the airfield setA blue-screen wall the full length of the hangarCamera crane ready for the next setupCrane arm and the An-2 on the airfieldCrew preparing a shot by the hangarLighting the aircraft for a sceneCrew filming the An-2 in front of the blue screenCamera crane and crew between setupsCranes at work on the airfield setThe An-2 ready for the shootThe blue-screen wall next to the crewClose-up of the An-2 landing gear on set

On screen

An explosion on the field, a tank cresting the hill and tanks firing on the plain: a few of the shots from our visual effects work on 44, as they appear in the official trailer of the film.

Visual effects shots from the official trailer of 44

A land of mountains

The film was shot across Azerbaijan, from Baku and Absheron to Lerik, Khizi and Shusha, and its mountain locations are breathtaking: ridges above the clouds, rocky slopes where every setup was a climb, and light that changes by the minute. These landscapes are as much a part of the film as its characters.

Cast and crew on a mountain locationAbove the clouds on the mountain setFilming on a mountain ridgeCrew and actors on a steep mountain slopeDirecting a scene with a megaphoneDirector and actor discussing a sceneLighting team setting up among the rocksA conversation between takes on the mountain location

Photos: Facebook

Baku

And then there was Baku: the walls of the Old City lit up at night, cobbled streets, grand historic facades and a city that feels both ancient and very modern. The Old City, Icherisheher, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and walking through it in the evening is something we would recommend to anyone.

Baku from the air at nightThe walls of the Old City at nightEvening stairs in the old streetsCobbled street in central BakuHistoric facade in the city centreLit palace facade at nightA gate of the Old City at nightIlluminated historic building at night

The directors

44 has two directors who shared one director's chair: Ismayil Safarali and Max Smetana, credited on screen as Maksym Smetana. Together they led a cast and crew of hundreds through 14 months of shooting, from the airfield set near Baku to mountain locations where every setup was a climb.

Ismayil Safarali

Ismayil Safarali

Director

Born in Baku, Ismayil studied economics at Duke University and built a career in banking before turning to filmmaking in 2013. His short films premiered internationally, and his feature debut The Fisherman's Daughter was sold worldwide by Wild Bunch. Speaking to the press before the release, Ismayil said that every day of this war is a story for a drama of its own, and that Azerbaijani cinema will return to this theme more than once.

Our special thanks to Ismayil for his trust in our team and for the vision that guided all of us through 44. Working alongside him has been an honour.

Max Smetana

Max Smetana

Director

On a film built around large-scale battle scenes, the director and the visual effects team have to work as one: every effects shot is planned together on set, long before it reaches post-production. Max carried that work with us from the first setups to the final shots, and we are proud to have made 44 side by side with him.

Max took special care of every shot with visual effects, and thanks to his work our job was much easier. Our special thanks to Max for this, for his trust in our team and for a partnership that goes beyond this film: we continue to work together on other projects.

At the monitors on the set of 44
At the monitors on the set of 44
A light moment at the monitors
A light moment at the monitors
A night shoot on the set of 44
A night shoot on the set of 44

Photos: Facebook

Ismayil Safarali (with the microphone) and Max Smetana (right) at the press conference for 44
Ismayil Safarali (with the microphone) and Max Smetana (right) at the press conference for 44
Max Smetana (front row, left) at the press conference
Max Smetana (front row, left) at the press conference
Max Smetana at the press conference
Max Smetana at the press conference

Photos: Qafqazinfo.az

The cinematographer

Oleksandr Pozdnyakov

Oleksandr Pozdnyakov

Director of photography

Oleksandr Pozdnyakov was the director of photography of 44. Over 14 months of shooting at more than 130 locations he shaped the look of the film, from the airfield set to mountain ridges where every setup was a climb. For a visual effects team the cinematographer is the closest partner on set: every effects shot begins with how it is lit and framed.

Our special thanks to Oleksandr for the images he gave this film and for his support of our team: our effects shots were built on his frames.

Aerial unit: the camera on a stabilised head outside the helicopter

Inside the helicopter: remote control of the camera head, the shot on the monitor

Videos: Oleksandr Pozdnyakov

The people

Making of: preparing the aircraft scene

Most of all, 44 is about people. Ismayil and Max led a large cast and crew with a clear vision and real care for every detail, and it was a pleasure to work alongside them and the whole production team. Our thanks to producer Orman Aliyev, to Anar Alakbarov, the film's artistic director and co-writer, and to everyone on set who made us feel at home. A special thank you to executive producers Nazrin Garajayeva and Fariz Ahmadov, and to Jamila Gahramanova.

On the airfield set, from left: two camera operators, one of the real commanders who appeared in the film, director Max Smetana and the UMP Studio team
On the airfield set, from left: two camera operators, one of the real commanders who appeared in the film, director Max Smetana and the UMP Studio team

Credits

Directed byIsmayil Safarali
Max Smetana
Written byAnar Alakbarov
Ismayil Iman
Artistic directorAnar Alakbarov
Director of photographyOleksandr Pozdnyakov
ProducerOrman Aliyev
Executive producersFariz Ahmadov
Nazrin Garajayeva
Running time2 h 38 min
With the support ofMinistry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan · Azerbaijan Film Agency · Baku Media Center
VFX supervision and visual effectsUMP Studio
VFX SupervisorOleksandr Suprunovskyi
On-set VFX Supervisor
VFX ProducerOleksii Hapon
VFX ProducerAntonina Patramanska
3D SupervisorMaksym Holovin

In cinemas

44 opens in cinemas across Azerbaijan on 15 October 2026, and international distribution and festival screenings are planned. Congratulations to the directors, the cast and everyone who brought this film to the screen.

Planning a feature with large-scale action or battle scenes? Talk to UMP Studio about visual effects for your next film.

Contact us