Ilyas Daudi

Iliyas Daudi (Ильяс Дильшатович Дауди; born January 29, 1967) is a Russian military writer-novelist, publicist, a member of the Writers' Union of Russia. Screenwriter and a filmmaker. In the past he was the Soviet military serviceman, the veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War, the Hero of the Russian Federation.

Early years and family life
Iliyas Daudi was born in Aznakayevo, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. While studying at school, he became a champion of a number of federal boxing tournaments and achieved the title of Candidate for Master of Sport of the USSR. Both of Iliyas Daudi's grandfathers, Misbakhetdin Safin and Akhmadullah Idrisov, fought in the Second World War against Nazi Germany. During a breakthrough from the encirclement near Bryansk in 1942, grandfather Akhmadullah was seriously wounded by an artillery shell; his thigh was amputated. 44 years later, in August 1986, in Afghanistan, Iliyas Daudi, a sergeant in military intelligence, was wounded in exactly the same way when he was blown up by an Italian anti-personnel mine. The father of a large family, in one marriage he raised 6 children: a son and five daughters. The son, Dauddin, following the example of his father, served in the 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade, became a military intelligence officer, a reserve lieutenant and a developer of innovative projects in the field of regenerative medicine.

Military service
In August 1985, after basic military training Daudi was assigned to military reconnaissance unit of 149th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of Limited Contingent of Soviet forces in Afghanistan (official title of 40th Army). — His military career started from reconnaissance operations in the rank of senior scout, then he took a position of a squad-leader of surveillance section. Soviet Colonel General Alexander Skorodumov wrote in his memories that Iliyas Daudi was not only formal leader, but the informal one too. Moreover, sometimes Daudi faced accusations in not obeying the rules and even hooliganism. Surprisingly, it wasn't an obstacle for him to become a deputy of platoon commander and join a Communist Party of the Soviet Union. — On 18 August 1986, I.Daudi participated in a large-scale Soviet Operation Trap on the Afghan-Iranian border in Herat province to capture the base fortified complex of the mujahideen Kokari-Sharshari of a prominent afghan warlord Ismail Khan. In battle, risking his life, he saved three comrades. A day later, 23 August in violent clashes with mujahideen, on a mission to supply his soldiers with ammunition, he stepped on an Italian antipersonnel mine. The explosion blew off his thigh and he received a severe concussion. According to the testimony of his army friends, he asked them to shoot him to get rid of the burden, but they managed to evacuate him from the combat. In November 1986, he was decommissioned from the Soviet Army after spending a lot of time in rehabilitation in hospital zone. — Many years later his combat performance was investigated and evaluated as outstanding heroism. In December 2009 by the order of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he was awarded with a Hero of Russian Federation.

After returning from the war
After returning from the war, treatment in hospitals and prosthetics of an amputated leg, in the same year he continued his studies at the Faculty of Economics of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, from where 2 years ago, as a student at a prestigious university, he volunteered to participate in the Soviet–Afghan War. — In the early 1990s, I. Daudi created a restaurant holding company. He directed his earned funds to help the families of the deceased veterans of the Afghan war. At the same time, he paid for prosthetics for 82 amputee soldiers from the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, who lost their arms and legs in that war, by the German company Ottobock. — In 2012 I. Daudi graduated from Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (2012). The topic of the diploma: «The national interests of the Russian Federation in the Central Asian region in the context of the military-political situation in and around Afghanistan». — In 2022 he entered the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) course of directing and producing films and television — IMDb nm 15078873. Debuted with the short feature films «Self-Portrait» (2022), «THE BLIND» (2023).

Writing activity
Novelist, essayist, publicist, columnist. The author's works are devoted to military topics with an anti-war philosophy. — He is the author of articles, stories and essays about the events of the Afghan war (1979-1989) in the publications of the Russian Ministry of Defense — the magazine «Armeiskyi sbornik», the newspaper «Krasnaya Zvezda» and others: «Kabul Hospital», «Pilaf for Sheraghi», «He built a bridge across the Elbe», «It was impossible otherwise», «Lead blizzard», «Born in the flames of wars», «Stepped into immortality», «Twice past», «Steel stronger», «Afghanistan — a look into the past» — a trilogy, «For that guy» and others. — Winner of the 11th All-Russian literary competition of the Central House of the Russian Army of the Ministry of Defense of Russia in 2017 in the nomination «Prose and Drama» with «Essay of a wounded soldier» from the collection «Notes of a military intelligence officer». — Author of the military historical novel-trilogy «In the Circle of Kunduz» (2020) — about the fate of six Soviet intelligence officers during the Afghan war and after it. A number of leading Russian publications and the Russian Military Historical Society reported on nomination of I. Daudi for this novel for the «Nobel Prize in Literature 2022, 2021». Chapters of the novel were published in Russian literary and art magazines: «Nevsky almanakh»; «Sever»; «Shores»; «Russkoe pole»; «Belaya skala»; «Biyskyi vestnik»; «Don»; «Gostiny dvor»; «Litkultprivet»; «Kazan»; «Crimea»; «Istoki»; «Argamak»; «Novaya Nemiga». At the presentation at the Russian military historical society on 9.12.2020, I. Daudi announced that he had written the script of the series based on the novel «In the Circle of Kunduz». — On August 31, 2021, on the day of the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Afghanistan, I.Daudi's historical documentary book «The Great War in Afghanistan» was published with studies of the reasons for the entry of Soviet troops into this country in 1979 and their involvement in a long-lasting civil war. — Later in the same year three novells were published — «We'll all be back!», «Not by the front corridor», «Zugzwang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs» — In 2022, the anti-militaristic novel «The Zugzwang of Ober-leutnant Bruno Thevs», replete with facts of resonant actions in Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by NATO in the 2000s − nominated for «The Peace Prize of German Booksellers».

Film and Script awards

 * «Best Script» — «Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood» LACFH-2024 Los Angeles, USA 26.03.2024; «Feature Screenplay» finalist — «Cambridge Script Festival» CSF-2024 Cambridge, Great Britain 23.01.2024 for the «Zugswang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs»
 * «Best director» (student) for the movie «THE BLIND» — Annual «11th International Cine Film Festival ICFF-2023» Mumbai, India and «Best Student Film» for the movie «SELF-PORTRAIT» — «Brandenburg International Film Festival» BIFF-2024 Berlin, Germany
 * «Best Short Film», «Best director» for the movie «THE BLIND» directed by I. Daudi — nominations of «Sweden Film Awards» SFA-2023 Stockholm, Sweden and «Brandenburg International Film Festival» BIFF-2024 Berlin, Germany
 * «Best International Short Film», «Best Inspirational Film» (Any Length) for the film «THE BLIND», «Best Experimental Film» (Any Length) — finalist for the film «SELF-PORTRAIT» — «The Singapore International Competition» TSIC-2023 Singapore 22.12.2023
 * «Best Experimental Film» for the movie «THE BLIND» — «Brandenburg International Film Festival» BIFF-2024 Berlin, Germany
 * «Short — Best Narrative» for the movie «THE BLIND» — «Anatolian Film Awards» AFA-2023, Turkey
 * «Best International Short Film» for the movie «SELF-PORTRAIT», «Special Juri Award» in the nomination «Best International Short Film» for the movie «THE BLIND» directed by I. Daudi; «Best Writer», «Critic's choice Awards: Best Feature Script Screenplay» for the script «Zugzwang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs» written by I. Daudi — nominations of «International Film Festival NITIIN-2023» Penang, Malaysia
 * «Best Social Film» — «BRIDGES International Film Festival» BIFF-2024 Sankt-Petersburg, Russian Federation 2.05.2024
 * «Best International Short Script» for the film «THE BLIND», «Best International Feature Script» for the «Zugswang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs» — «The Singapore International Competition» TSIC-2023 Singapore 23.12.2023 and «Best Screenplay» for the film «THE BLIND» written by I. Daudi — finalist of «Korean International Short Film Festival» KoreaISFF-2023 Seul, S. Korea 3.10.2023
 * «Best Screenplay» to the film project «Zugzwang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs» written by I. Daudi — «Sweden Film Awards» SFA-2023 Stockholm, Sweden; «Best Script Unproduced» to the film project «Zugzwang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs» — «Liber Films International Film Festival» LFIFF-2023 Athens, Greece and finalist in the «Best Screenplay» nomination of «Vesuvius International Film Fest» VIFF-2023 Vesuvie, Italy
 * «Honorable Mention» for the movies: «THE BLIND» — «Eastern Europe Film Festival» EEFF-2023 Romania; Short Film «SELF-PORTRAIT» — «Anatolian Film Awards» AFA-2023, Turkey; «Honorable Juri mention» for the Script «Zugzwang of Ober Lieutenant Bruno Thevs» written by I. Daudi, «Special Festival mention (student) for the movie «THE BLIND» directed by I. Daudi — «12th Delhi Shorts international Film Festival» DSIFF-2023 New Delhi, India 29.10.2023
 * He was twice a finalist at the «Cambridge Script Festival» CSF-2023/2024 Cambridge, England in the nominations «Best War Screenplay» and «Best Feature Screenplay»
 * As a clipmaker, he became the winner in the nomination «Best Music Video» in many International Film Festivals — «Sweden Film Awards» SFA-2024; «Stockholm City Film Festival» SCFF-2024; «Swedish Academy of Motion Picture Awards» SAMPA-2024; «Berlin Motion Picture Awards» BMPA-2024; «Brandenburg International Film Festival» BIFF-2024; «Anatolian Film Awards» AFA-2024; «Indo Malaysia International Film Festival» IMFF-2023; «NITIIN International Film Festival» IMFF-2023; «BIG BEN International Film Festival» BBIFF-2024

Publications in Russian

 * Iliyas Daudi. The military-historical novel-trilogy «IN THE CIRCLE OF KUNDUZ» The story of heroes among whom you want to live. Autor I.Daudi ISBN 978-5-4491-0575-2 — М.: DeLibri, 2020 394 с. Д21 УДК 82-311.6 ББК 84 (4Рос=Рус) 6–405.2020
 * «The Great Game of Afghanistan» rus.«Большая игра в Афганистан» ISBN 978-5-4491-1124-1 — М.: Де'Либри, Д21 УДК 82-311.6 ББК 84 (4Рос=Рус) 6-44
 * «Комбат с позывным «Кобра», с. 46-49
 * «Операция «Западня», с. 88-92
 * «Афганистан. Мармольские войсковые операции», с. 89-95
 * «Кабульский госпиталь», с. 48-51
 * «Плов для Шераги», с. 48-51
 * «Он построил мост через Эльбу», с. 96-100
 * «Иначе было нельзя», с. 149-152
 * «Мела свинцовая метель», с. 180-185
 * «Шагнувшие в бессмертие»
 * «С короткой биографией, великою судьбой», с. 151-158
 * «Афганистан: горное эхо Второй мировой». Часть 1
 * «Афганистан: горное эхо Второй мировой». Часть 2