On March 17, a film presentation titled “Ilham Shakirov: Böyek Khalyk Jyrcysy” (“Ilham Shakirov: The Great Folk Singer”) will take place in Yekaterinburg. The film is dedicated to the life of the legendary Tatar singer and is timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of his birth.

The authors of the film spoke with people who knew Ilham Shakirov at different stages of his life — at school and at the philharmonic. They also had extensive conversations with his musicians and reviewed private photo and video archives. The central question of the film is: how did an artist who devoted his entire life to serving the people and toured the USSR many times never receive the official title of People’s Artist? The creators attempt to present Shakirov as a complex, multifaceted personality.

During the Soviet period, Shakirov regularly toured the Sverdlovsk region. So far, publications from the 1970s to the 1990s have been found. He performed both solo and together with the “Masters of Arts of Tatarstan.” Witnesses of that time recall how deeply the singer was loved and respected in the Urals. His concerts sometimes lasted two or even three days, with full halls each time.

The film’s presentation in Kazan took place on January 9, 2026. The film is directed and written by Radif Kashapov. It is in the Tatar language with Russian subtitles and has a running time of 1 hour 25 minutes.

The Ural premiere will take place on Tuesday, March 17 at 19:00 at the Zaynetdin Agafurov House, located at 24 Sakko and Vanzetti Street.
Age restriction: 18+.

The screening is organized by the “Tatar Yekaterinburg” project in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Tatarstan and the youth organization “YASHEN.”
Admission is free.

Source: tatur.tatarstan.ru