Shamil Aliyev was born on 26 June 1960. He studied at the directing faculty of the M.A. Aliyev Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts and Culture (1984–1989). Since 1990 he has worked at the "Azerbaijanfilm" film studio and at several TV channels. He made the documentary films "The Homeland Begins at the Border" (2004, 30', BTC) and "Baku European Lyceum — A Planet of Talents" (2005, 30', BTC). He created the first encyclopaedic website on Azerbaijani cinematography (http://www.cinema.aznet.org). Since 2008 he has been the founder and head of the "Nurfilm" studio. In May 2013 he was awarded the "Humay" national prize for the film "Cholchu" ("The Shepherd"). On 1 August 2018 he was awarded the "Taraggi" ("Progress") medal.
