ASTANA – Kazakh cinema is having its second this autumn with three acclaimed movies nominated for the sixteenth Asia Pacific Display Awards (APSA) which can happen within the metropolis of Gold Coast, Australia on Nov. 3. Moreover, movies addressing nuclear exams and ladies’s rights will premiere at worldwide movie festivals in Busan and Tokyo.
Nonetheless from the “Brothers” film nominated for the ASPA Finest Director class. Photograph credit score: kazakhcinema.kz
Presentation of Kazakh movies at worldwide movie festivals is a celebration of untold tales that transcend borders and permit worldwide viewers to expertise the dynamism of Kazakh society and historical past.
Three Kazakh movies in Australia
Three distinct tales introduced at APSA don’t essentially compete with Hollywood however inform vital native tales which will discover a world viewers.
Aisultan Seitov’s debut film “QASH” (Run) is within the working for each Finest Cinematography and Finest Movie nominations at APSA, competing with movies from Japan, China, and Georgia. Notably, amongst its rivals is “Evil Does Not Exist” by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the esteemed winner of the Grand Jury Prize on the eightieth Venice Worldwide Movie Competition.
Kazakh filmmaker Aisultan Seitov received Finest Director Award on the twenty fifth Shanghai Worldwide Movie Competition. Photograph credit score: Qara Manufacturing.
“QASH” tells the story of the tragic Kazakh famine on account of the Soviet collectivization marketing campaign within the Nineteen Thirties by way of the private story of two brothers.
Earlier this yr, the movie received the Finest Director Award on the twenty fifth Shanghai Worldwide Movie Competition.
Askhat Kuchinchirekov’s debut movie “Bauryna Salu” (Adoption) is competing within the Finest Youth Movie class, whereas “Brothers” by Darkhan Tulegenov is nominated for the ASPA Finest Director class.
“Bauryna Salu” is a coming-of-age story advised from a younger boy’s perspective, who was given at beginning to his grandmother for upbringing, following the age-old Kazakh custom generally known as “bauryna salu.” It premiered on the 71st version of the San Sebastián movie competition competing within the New Administrators class.
Nonetheless from the “Brothers” film. Photograph credit score: kazakhcinema.kz
Tulegenov’s “Brothers” is one other testomony to the inventive prowess of the rising Kazakh filmmakers. It follows an orphan who’s satisfied that his father is alive and embarks on a decided quest to search out him upon leaving the orphanage.
Final yr, “Brothers” acquired the Spirit of Cinema award on the Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg in Germany and this yr it was acknowledged by the Affiliation of Movie Critics of Kazakhstan because the Finest Drama in 2022.
Movie “Aikai” in Busan, South Korea
Kenzhebek Shaikakov’s movie “Aikai” (Scream), which sheds gentle on the plight of the victims of the Semipalatinsk nuclear take a look at web site, was introduced to the South Korean viewers through the Busan Worldwide Movie Competition on Oct. 4-13, as reported by Khabar 24 information company.
Nonetheless from the “Aikai” film. Photograph credit score: inform.kz
Whereas the movie wasn’t a part of the first competitors lineup, it secured a spot within the Window on Asian Cinema part. It stood out as the only Central Asian illustration amongst 30 showcased movies.
“We drew from real-life accounts for sure particulars and scenes. Native individuals advised us their tales. I feel the concept of the film and its ambiance can be relatable to Asian audiences as a result of the atomic bombings of Japan are just like the nuclear exams in Kazakhstan,” mentioned director Shaikakov.
The premiere was an eye-opener for a lot of attendees, with some discovering for the primary time that Kazakhstan had been a web site for nuclear exams. Among the many viewers was a person who had personally skilled the aftermath of those nuclear detonations.
Movie professional Hong Sang Woo acknowledged that the movie opens the chapters of nuclear testing historical past largely unknown to the world.
“By this film, we will perceive a few of Kazakhstan’s historical past, notably the harrowing period of nuclear weapons testing throughout Soviet rule. Little or no is thought about this in South Korea,” he mentioned.
Movie “Madina” in Tokyo, Japan
Kazakh filmmaker Aizhan Kassymbekova’s “Madina” has been chosen for the Tokyo Worldwide Movie Competition to be featured within the Asian Future competitors part.
Aizhan Kassymbekova. Photograph credit score: private archive/inform.kz
Attributable to be unveiled on Oct. 28, the movie follows the story of a single mom, the household’s sole breadwinner, who struggles to deal with her outdated grandmother, a withdrawn youthful brother, and a two-year-old daughter.
“Madina” delves into the struggles confronted by many Kazakh girls, whereas protecting their tales non-public.
“Society usually doesn’t settle for girls who resolve to present beginning and lift youngsters and not using a partner, leaving them to grapple with challenges corresponding to in search of alimony on their very own. Many ladies within the nation and on the planet discover themselves on this state of affairs,” mentioned Kassymbekova in an interview with Kazinform information company.
“The Kazakh movie business usually options movies in regards to the hardships of ladies, thus drawing consideration to the issues of home violence,” she added.
On the subject of who can actually grasp and painting girls’s feelings, Kassymbekova mentioned: “I don’t agree with the opinion that solely feminine administrators ought to make motion pictures about girls. I imagine {that a} man also can really feel the depth of ladies’s issues. Something past that’s stereotypes.”
Her curiosity in making movies could be attributed to her early publicity to the business and film classics.
“My father was a director, largely making youngsters’s motion pictures. I inherited my ardour for cinema from him as a result of my entire childhood was spent watching big-budget movies,” she mentioned.
Nonetheless, drawing her expertise out into the world was not simple.
“My father as soon as explicitly advised me: ‘Aizhan, by no means go into the movie business, as a result of you’ll undergo endlessly, you should have no cash.’ Taking his recommendation to coronary heart, I went to check worldwide relations. Then by some means life introduced me to the film world. After college, I didn’t begin filming immediately. I took time to mentally prepared myself for the journey,” mentioned Kassymbekova.
