Takhir Sabirov (russian: Тахир Сабиров; 21 December 1929 – 31 May 2002) was a Soviet and Tajik film actor, director and screenwriter. He is known as the "founding father" of the ''

One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' dynasty of the film industry due to his creation of the '' Scheherazade'' trilogy. He is also known by his formal name Takhir Mukhtorovich Sabirov. His mother ''Mastona Sobir Zoda'' was the daughter of Duke ''Sobir-kaloni Tura-zoda'' of

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...

(now part of the

Samarqand Province Samarqand Region (Samarkand Region) ( uz, Самарқанд вилояти, Samarqand viloyati, russian: Самаркандская область) is the most populous region of Uzbekistan. It is located in the center of the country in the basi ...

, Uzbekistan), from the

Duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once exis ...

of Greater Khorasan, known as ''Tura-zoda'', who were eminent members of Central Asia's

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

. Takhir was the youngest of five children. He was married twice and has two sons and three daughters. He completed the Performing Arts discipline at the Tashkent State Art Institute of Theatrical Arts in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 1951, he then continued further by obtaining his Directorial discipline under faculty of

Yuri Zavadsky Yuri Aleksandrovich Zavadsky (russian: Юрий Александрович Завадский; 12 July 1894, Moscow — 5 April 1977, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian theater director, actor and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1948) and ...

at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Moscow. His first film, '' The Road'' (1955), initiated him into the film industry, but the role of ''Yodgor'' in "Dokhunda" (1956) sparked his career and was followed by several successful roles. His directorial debut was in "Vaqti zangirii pisar rasid" (Russian title: "Sinu para jinitsa", 1959), which was the first comedy musical motion picture in the

cinema of Tajikistan In parallel to what happened in other Soviet republics, a cinema of Tajikistan was promoted by the Soviet state, and declined in the first years after the independence, before being revitalized through the efforts of the new government. Origins: ...

. With his films he introduced the Tajik film industry onto international scenebasis with his nomination in International film festivals. His film "Margi Sudkhur" (Russian title: "Smert' Rostovshika", 1966) was nominated at the International Film Festival of Asia and Africa in 1968. His trilogy of "New Tales of Scheherazade", "Another Night of Scheherazade" and ''

The Last Night of Scheherazade ''The Last Night of Scheherazade'' (russian: Последняя ночь Шахерезады, Poslednaya noch Shakherezady) is a 1987 Soviet-Syrian children's fantasy film directed by Takhir Sabirov based on ''One Thousand and One Nights''. It is ...

'' was based on the Arabic folktale ''

'' had made a great impact in the

by opening it to European audiences and borders. The Scheherazade trilogies were among the first Tajik film productions that achieved distribution beyond Russian borders, placing Tajik film on the map of International Film Festivals. Not only has he directed and co-written the Scheherazade trilogies, but also starred as King Shahryar (Sultan); which coincidentally is more true to his own lineage of royalty. He became a cultural icon gaining more acknowledgement and respect. Regardless of the obstacles he had faced in his lifetime, he never stopped filming. He is known in the Tajik film industry as one of the major film directors of his time. He broadened his entertainment field as he established entrepreneurial joint venture "Movarounnahr Joint Venture" as an Art Director. Although he was involved in many fields of the film industry, he always had time to instruct and inspire students and apprentices. In 1999, he was part of the judging committee in the 21st (XXI)

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...

. He became the first Tajik film director to be honored with the position of a film judge. In 2002, he was an honorary guest at the 55th (LV) Cannes Film Festival. He died in Dushanbe at the age of 72.

Awards and honors

* Medal "For Distinguished Labour" (1957) *

People's Artist of the Tajik SSR People's Artist of the Tajik SSR (Народный артист Таджикской ССР), is an honorary title awarded to citizens of the Tajik SSR in the Soviet Union. It is awarded for outstanding performance in the performing arts, whose me ...

(1966) * Order of the Badge of Honour (1971) * Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1991) *

Order of Glory (Tajikistan) The Order of Glory or Sharaf Order ( tg, Ордени «Шараф») is a state distinction and award of the Republic of Tajikistan. It is awarded to people for their services to the development of the economy, social sphere, science, culture a ...

(1999)

Filmography

*'' The Road'' (1955) *''

A Unique Spring ''A Unique Spring'' (russian: Неповторимая весна, Nepovtorimaya vesna) is a 1957 Soviet drama film directed by Aleksandr Stolper and starring Yevgeniya Kozyreva, Izolda Izvitskaya and Aleksandr Mikhaylov.Rollberg p.669 Plot A yo ...

'' (1957) *''

'' (1987)

References

* Cowie, Peter and Elley, Derek (ed.) World Filmography:1967 London: A.S.Barnes & Co., Inc. 1977.
Tashkent State Art Institute of Theatrical Arts
*
"Сабиров Тахир Мухтарович"(in Russian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabirov, Takhir 1929 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Tajikistani actors People from Dushanbe People's Artists of Tajikistan Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Ethnic Tajik people Persian-language film directors Soviet drama teachers Soviet film directors Soviet male film actors Soviet screenwriters Soviet male screenwriters Tajikistani actors Tajikistani film directors Tajikistani male writers

Awards and honors

Filmography

See also

References