Arif Haji oglu Babayev was born on 25 September 1928 in Baku. From 1947 to 1953 he studied at the directing faculty of the M.A. Aliyev Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts. From 1956 to 1968 he worked at the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Committee. From 1964, at the "Azerbaijanfilm" studio, he directed several documentaries, 8 full-length feature films, and 1 short feature film. He died on 26 August 1983 at the age of 54. In 2000, a documentary about the director titled "Kinorejissor Arif Babayev" was made, as well as several television films. He was the brother of director Vasif Babayev.
