Rustam Ibragimbekov (b. 1939, Baku) graduated from the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute, then began writing and graduated from both the screenwriters' and directors' departments of Filmmakers' Courses. During his career as a play- and screenwriter, he made over fifty films. White Sun of the Desert (1969), for which he co-wrote the script, has become a cult film in Russia. Ibragimbekov wrote scripts for Nikita Mikhalkov's films Burnt by the Sun (1994), for which they shared the Grand Jury award at the Cannes Festival and Oscar for the Best Foreign Film, and The Barber of Siberia (1999). Ibragimbekov is currently the Chairman of the Confederation of Filmmakers' Unions, secretary of the Russian Filmmakers' Union, and member of the European Film Academy.