Tajik Students Win Award in Los Angeles for Music Video Honoring Jalaluddin Rumi
The music video Nai Noumie by Jalaluddin Rumi, directed by Ilyas Daudi, won first place in the “Best Music Video” category at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood. The project was selected from among hundreds of international submissions. Creating the Project Tajik students Shahriyor Gulmakhmadzoda and Yosuman Ismailova, both studying at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, participated in the video. They recited poetry by the renowned Persian mystic Jalaluddin Rumi, set to music by Iranian composer Arash Faladvand. The composition is part of a trilogy by Daudi dedicated to Eastern philosophy and poetry. According to the director, the choice to involve Tajik students was intentional. “The involvement of students from Farhad Mahmudov’s Tajik workshop was guided by the linguistic and cultural proximity between Persian and Tajik traditions,” Daudi explained. He praised the voices of Yosuman and Shahriyor as perfect for the project. Faladvand’s symphonic piece was adapted into what Daudi described as a “concise rock version with an exquisite professional arrangement.” The project had an international scope from the outset. Iranian historians and linguists contributed to ensuring the poetic integrity of Rumi’s work was faithfully preserved. Daudi, an award-winning director and screenwriter, is also the author of the book In the Kunduz Circle. He has received accolades in Los Angeles, Austin, Berlin, Geneva, Madrid, and other cities. Shahriyor's Story Shahriyor Gulmakhmadzoda, 22, is from the Matchinsky district in Tajikistan's Sughd region. His parents, both farmers, currently work in Russia to support his studies. Passionate about the performing arts from a young age, he participated in school productions and later enrolled at the M. Tursunzade Tajik State Institute of Culture and Arts under the mentorship of Kurbon Sobir, a People’s Artist of Tajikistan. “My parents and my brother Shohrukh always supported my path. My teacher Kurbon Sobir gave me so much and showed great patience to shape me. He helped me enter VGIK through a presidential quota, and Maestro Farhad Makhmudov accepted us. For me, he’s someone I would give all my blood to,” Shahriyor said. Yosuman's Story Yosuman Ismailova, 21, was born in Dushanbe and is originally from Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan region. Her mother worked as a dispatcher at Shabakai Avval (First Channel), and her father, a taxi driver, recently relocated to Moscow. From childhood, Yosuman aspired to perform on stage. She studied vocals and graduated from the A. Bokulov College of Arts. “I still remember my teacher, Irina Norayrovna Arutyunyan, with deep appreciation. She did so much for me, and I’m immensely grateful,” she shared. First Steps into Cinema This summer, both students began their studies in Farhad Makhmudov’s workshop at VGIK. Upon learning about the new Tajik students, Daudi invited them to join his project. “We gladly agreed, even though we had no prior experience. Everything was new, filming, recording vocals, working on set,” Yosuman recalled. Filming took place in VGIK’s training studio and on location in the Zavidovo nature reserve outside Moscow. For Shahriyor and Yosuman, this was their first professional cinematic experience and a...
