Ru Hasanov (’09) is an award-winning film director, producer, and educator. His debut feature, Chameleon, premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2013, where it was nominated for the Golden Leopard. His second feature, The Island Within, won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director in 2020 and was his country’s official submission for the 94th Academy Awards.

Ru played a key role in shaping the contemporary film industry in Azerbaijan, initiating the establishment of ARKA, the Cinema Agency of Azerbaijan, and serving as its first Interim CEO from 2022 to 2023. He holds a B.A. in Theater from Bates College and an MFA in Directing from the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors in Moscow.

A member of the European Film Academy and a 2025 Visiting Scholar at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington, DC, Ru currently serves as Artistic Director of the Film Program at YARAT Contemporary Art School and Visiting Professor at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts in Baku. He is currently in post-production on his third feature film.