Azad Safarov (born 1985/1986) is a Ukrainian journalist and filmmaker. He is a producer for Sky News and co-founder of charity organization Voices of Children.
Early life and education
Safarov was born in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
, Azerbaijan, and, in 1994, moved to Donetsk, Ukraine with his mother at age 8. His father had moved to Donetsk before them, in order to set up a business. The family lived in Donetsk for the next 15 years, and Safarov learned both Ukrainian and Russian. Safarov was bullied by other children for being an immigrant and for his skin color, so he often spent time alone in public libraries or working with his father to sell products. As a child, Safarov was interested in becoming a filmmaker, but his mother encouraged him to become a journalist, because she thought it was a peaceful job. His father encouraged him to learn Azerbaijani dances. He was 13 when his father died from stress-induced heart disease.
Safarov attended university, graduating in 2007 with a degree in journalism.
Career
After graduating university, Safarov moved to Kyiv, where he lived in a communal apartment and interned at the OSCE. Shortly afterwards, he got a job working for print media, and then his first journalistic job working for
5 Kanal
5 Kanal ( uk, 5 канал, lit=Channel 5) is a television station in Ukraine formerly owned by businessman and fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. He covered the
Euromaidan
Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...
protests in November 2013. While doing so, he was beaten on camera by then-President Viktor Yanukovych'sriot police. As a freelance journalist, Safarov has worked with CNN, and
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
. He also worked for
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
in Germany for five years. In 2014, he began visiting Donetsk as a 5 Kanal reporter. In 2023, Safarov's Sky News team won the International Emmy for Best News for their coverage of the March 2022 battles for Bucha and Irpin.
From 2015 until 2017, Safarov was an assistant producer on the documentary film ''
The Distant Barking of Dogs
''The Distant Barking of Dogs'' ( da, Olegs krig) is a 2017 documentary film produced by Monica Hellström, and directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont. The film, set in Hnutove near Mariupol, follows the life of 10-year-old Ukrainian boy Oleg throug ...
''. While filming in Donbas, Safarov worked under a pseudonym for his safety.
In 2019, Safarov co-founded the organization Voices of Children with fellow Ukrainian Olena Rozvadovska. At the same time, he was working as a line producer and assistant director for the documentary ''
A House Made of Splinters
''A House Made of Splinters'' ( uk, Будинок із трісок, translit=Budynok iz trisok) is a 2022 documentary film by the Danish film director Simon Lereng Wilmont, created with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Film Affa ...