Discoveries from Kazakhstan World Cinema

In the 14th-century, as the Silk Road crumbles and rival factions tear the land apart, fearless warrior Timur emerges from exile. Stripped of everything, he fights to unite the fractured kingdoms, using strategy and sheer will to carve an empire from chaos. Undefeated in battle and widely regarded as one of history’s greatest military leaders and tacticians, not to mention one of its most brutal, Timur would found the Timurid Empire, which ruled over modern-day Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia.

Bolekbay is an ordinary electrician living in a small Kazakh town. His life is a routine of work, with no room for special events or adventures. But everything changes when he is struck by lightning while on the job. Not only does he survive, but he also gains a superpower. Now, he is a human magnet, capable of moving metal objects with the power of his mind.

Alex, an immigrant from Ukraine comes to Canada and becomes involved with an online criminal organization called Darkweb. What starts off as a way to help his parents financially, soon becomes a personal vendetta against the entire banking system, when his mother is fired from her job at the bank

The Nomad is a historical epic set in 18th-century Kazakhstan. The film is a fictionalised account of the youth and coming-of-age of Ablai Khan, as he grows and fights to defend the fortress at Hazrat-e Turkestan from Dzungar invaders.

This is the story of the life of the great queen of the steppe - legendary Tomiris. She is destined to become a skillful warrior, survive the loss of close people and unite the Scythian/Saka tribes under her authority.

It's summer 1992, a month before the collapse of the Soviet empire.

Timur and his friends get involved in a criminal adventure on Lake Baikal, but everything does not end as they expected.

Young women imagine themselves as a river: what starts off as a poetic metaphor is linked to images of landscape and becomes a many-voiced narration, radically morphing into a political statement. The Kazakh woman, she prefers life without man.

Branded a traitor by her countrymen, French national Marie DuJardin is rescued by American soldiers on one condition: to survive, she must lead them to a cache of gold - before the Nazis return to claim it for themselves.

A young Kyrgyz immigrant tries to eke out a living in Moscow after abandoning her newborn and fleeing the hospital.

The brothers Sultan and Bekzat Ibrayev are serving faithfully in the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, and at the same time they are in family disagreement. Sultan is a valiant intelligence officer and Bekzat is a talented fighter pilot. While an international terrorist organization prepares a carefully planned attack on the country's strategically important facilities, the brothers have to face not only a mortal threat, but also face a family confrontation related to their dead father. Circumstances force them to unite in order to save human lives, and the brothers eventually understand that their homeland and family are the most valuable thing they have.

A young woman, Aliya, catches the lustful eyes of several powerful men and is thrust against her will into a vast criminal ocean. As passion, violence, and turmoil swirl around her, she finds herself on the brink of death, and only her true love can rescue her.

The son of a rich businessman who has ties with the Russian mob. But the mob sets up his family and forced the young guy at fighting in martial arts tournament.

During World War III, the American government initiates a secret project codenamed ‘Army Bacon’ in order to create super soldiers by inbreeding humans with pigs. 25 years later the hybrid Muzzles have occupied the top of the food chain, eating and farming humanity. Ex-bounty hunter Rob Justice works for the last line of human resistance - a group of survivors hiding in a nuclear bunker deep underground - and his mission is to search and destroy Muzzle Central.

Ex-con Kermek and his beloved Eva want to leave their crime-infested lives on the Kazakh steppes behind. He has a dream: building a movie theater in the mountains. Will Kermek's love of Alain Delon be strong enough to keep them out of the violent clutches of the mafia?

Beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Lieutenant Adi Sharipov, together with his platoon, cover the retreat of the regimental headquarters and remain surrounded, behind enemy lines. The enemy drives the squad into the swamp. Fear of the unknown, despondency and doubt haunt the fighters until they realize that waiting and inaction will destroy the squad faster than enemy bullets.

Single mother Gulzhan discovers that her daughter Dana has gone missing. Soon it becomes clear that the girl was abducted by elderly villagers and taken to an aul inhabited only by old people, where she is being prepared for an ancient ritual.

Set in the early 1990s in Almaty, the film follows Sayan, a promising young boxer who decides to punch his way into a better life by joining a local criminal gang. As he climbs the ranks of the underworld, he quickly learns that the path of a racketeer comes with a heavy price, and some choices can never be undone. A gritty, first-person account of ambition, loyalty, and the inevitable reckoning in a lawless era.

Set in the 15th century, the story follows the formation of the Kazakh state after the death of Genghis Khan and the usurpation of power by one of Khan's descendants, leading the sultans Kerei and Janibek to resort to some nomadic tribes to remove the usurper, hoping for a better life and freedom.

Tamara is searching for her missing son in a small town consumed by riots and violence. In a desperate attempt to get him back, she decides to offer a reward to an amoral former investigator whose methods prove to be sadistic. Determined, Tamara decides to complete the mission with the nihilistic detective, no matter what the cost.

An English correspondent arrives in Astana to interview the named Leader of the Nation Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev is hosting an English guest. The interview turns into Nazarbayev's story about life, fate and the difficult path of gaining independence. The President introduces the writer to local customs, at the same time telling about the most difficult periods of his life, from his appointment in 1984 as chairman of the Council of Ministers to becoming President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1991.

When the Soviets impose new ways of collective farming and permanent settlements on a region of nomadic dwellers, young Ilyas is separated from his mother, Mariam. Through decades of war, mother and son persevere in their efforts to be reunited.

A film version of the famous Mukhlisov gang case. In May 2001, an audacious robbery of a collection car of one of the commercial banks of Almaty took place. During this attack, which took place 50 meters from the American embassy in Almaty, several people were killed. The attackers managed to seize the sum of 700 thousand dollars, after which they carried out a number of raids on exchange offices and organizations of the southern capital. The crime was solved fairly quickly, but it remained for a long time, both in the memory of citizens and law enforcement officers.

A cop ventures into a remote village to investigate a gruesome series of inexplicable events and soon finds himself in the center of an otherworldly storm of local witchcraft and death. It becomes clear that the curse of Albasty, a spirit said to devour infants, is horrifyingly real. Produced as an anthology series, first three episodes premiering at Fantasia Film Festival as a feature film.

A story about self-taught street fighter who works in the Almaty flea market at day time and takes part in underground fights at night.

A universal story about the freedom of the human spirit and the struggle against slavery and despotism, about love, loss and betrayal. It is seen through the eyes of simple Kazakh kids and teenagers.

After the death of the mistress of the house, Kanat and his family are left without a roof and without hope. In search of a better life, they travel to South Korea, where chance confronts them with a test of conscience and fate. This is a story about a man who is on the verge of choosing between need and honor, between a dream and responsibility to himself and others.

A film about outlaws that breaks the rules of storytelling. A secretive man arrives at the airport—he has a job interview with the leader of a criminal syndicate. He decides to protect the gangster against the threat of a mysterious woman and her child, who want him dead. Violence is inevitable, but it manifests in enigmatic ways.

Three best friends wish to be the only men left in Astana. Suddenly they realize that their dream came true and now they live in world of women.

An explosion in the subway takes Rasul's life, leaving his family grieving for his son for 15 long years. However, on Memorial Day, Rasul returns home. The family is shocked - the joy of reunion is mixed with the bitterness of the question “Where have you been all this time?”. Rasul is evading the question, and each member of his family has their own assumptions about this.

Seung-joo, an assistant documentary director, hopes to direct his own work, but leaves for Kazakhstan to assist in filming a traditional Korean-Kazakhstan wedding. When the local director Park Yu-ra gets in a car accident, Seung-joo and Young-tae, the cinematographer, miss the wedding they were set to film. To complete the documentary, Seung-joo is forced to stage a fake wedding ceremony in Yura's hometown of Saty Village with Young-tae and Yura's uncle Georgi.

A story about the harsh times during colonization and famine of the 1930’s. The main character, gravedigger Isatai, played by Yerkebulan Dairov, will find himself faced by a hard choice that will predetermine the fate of his village.

A professional skier gets into a life-changing car accident the day he discovers he has qualified for the Olympics. After losing a leg in the wreck, the athlete sinks into a deep depression- until one day he is offered a chance to try his luck with the country's Paralympic team.

A young pastry chef named Jamila makes life sweeter for everyone around her. One day she notices a young man who constantly buys a "Milk Girl" cake from them. This acquaintance will completely change her life.

The action of this story begins in the near future. The great device codenamed as the “Phantom” is invented by the Global Security Corporation in order to eliminate the crime and to establish a secure global community. But, it is not how it really is. The reverse side of the “Phantom” is to establish an absolute control over people’s minds. The Corporation aims to change the course of the history, by gaining the community of obedient “puppets”, who would never realize that their minds are being controlled. Step by step, the “Phantom” fractures people’s lives, but nobody suspects anything, until it destroys the lives of in-love couple- Timur and Keira. She is convicted of murder, and he needs to break the law to save her. An American criminal hacker named Zach helps Timur to find the truth, and to uncover the Corporation’s conspiracy.

A bipoic about Mustafa Shokai, a distinguished Kazakh politican of 1920's.

The Asian Hawk is drawn back into action when a global hunt erupts over an ancient artifact known as the Tumar, carrying a reward of more than $20 million.

A boy is murdered in Kazakh village. Detective Bekzat wants to wrap up the inquiries quickly: after all, the perpetrator has already been found by local police officers. But when a journalist arrives from the city, everything falls to pieces. For the first time in his career, Bekzat must conduct a real investigation according to procedure.

The Kazakh village Karatas has long been subjugated by a criminal boss called Poshaev. He provides housing and jobs for the locals but will ruthlessly execute anyone who dares to oppose him. This is the lesson the pauper Arzu is about to learn first-hand—his wife Karina has informed the police about the crimes that are taking place there. Arzu is a cripple; now he must raise his little daughter alone. He is so helpless and grief-stricken that he doesn’t even seem to be contemplating revenge. Poshaev takes him under his wing and offers him the position of a guard at a building site. Soon Arzu has a chance to prove his loyalty, and he becomes Poshaev’s right hand. But where do Arzu’s real loyalties lie—with his boss or with the idea of justice?

This movie is about the life of Marat Ayumov, a former soldier from Kazakhstan who fought in Afghaninstan. The past and present are interwoven in the memories of the protagonist. Throughout the film, in fragmented flashbacks, the hero recollects the time when he, as a soldier, fought in the armed conflict in the mountainous country as he travels to Afghanistan to accompany a young and creative TV crew making a documentary called “Following Alexander the Great”.

Sabyr finds a way to connect with his past. A touching comedy from the Nazar Audar team.

Father of little Olzhas is killed by horse thieves on the day he goes to a market. Now, his mother decides to move back to her hometown with him and his little sisters together with the horses the father has left behind. A strange man shows up on their door asking to meet Olzhas for once, and volunteers to help their move.

Danila and Olesya are a couple in crisis who don’t know what to do with their marriage. Spouses create fictitious accounts on a dating app and start communicating with other people, without even realizing that they are having a dialogue with each other. Will they be able to save their marriage and fall in love with each other again?

Asa, a young and cheerful dreamer, returns from his Russian naval service to his sister’s nomadic family on the desolate Hunger Steppe of central Asia, so that he can begin his own life as a shepherd. But before he can tend a flock of his own, Asa must first win the hand of the only eligible girl for miles—his mysterious neighbor, Tulpan.

Desperate husband cheats on wife after many years of childless marriage and accidentally knocks up the lover lady.

During a medical examination, 13-year-old Aslan is humiliated in front of a load of his fellow pupils. The incident unleashes his latent personality disorder. Plagued by self-doubt, he strives for cleanliness and perfection and is obsessed with trying to control everything around him. His compulsion draws Aslan, who lives with his grandmother in a village in Kazakhstan, into increasingly difficult situations. He abhors the way most of his fellow pupils are held in the sway of a criminal scheme, in which Bolat, one of Aslan’s tormentors, is also involved. Bolat blackmails the younger children into paying him protection money; he has nothing but contempt for ostracised Aslan.

Living in Almaty, Kazakhstan, a young man is preparing to become a bus conductor. One day, in between wandering the city streets and going to the movies, he makes the acquaintance of a female student.

The feature film "The Composer" tells about the life and work of the Chinese composer Xian Xinghai in the Soviet Union, including during the evacuation to Alma-Ata, as well as about his friendship with the Kazakh composer Bakhytzhan Baykadamov.

A highly skilled bodyguard avenging his brother's untimely death uncovers a ring of corruption extending to the highest levels of society and government.

Somewhere in the endless steppes of Central Asia lies a treasure. Frenchman Charles holds the key, a fragment of an ancient map. But in his restless quest, Charles seeks neither fame nor glory, but for a way to heal his wounded soul. He's looking for love. Ulzhan felt it the first time she laid eyes on him.

The film follows the true life story of one of China's greatest composers, Xian Xinghai. The start of the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in 1941 made it difficult for Xian to return to China. He was stranded in Almaty, suffering poverty and sickness. Kazakh composer Bakhitzhan Baykadamov then helped Xian, providing him with a home, despite not knowing his true identity since Xian was then using an alias. There Xian put down roots and composed some of his most famous works.

A film about the feat of 17 soldiers of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (now the National Guard), who died on April 7, 1995 on the Tajik-Afghan border while protecting the external borders of the CIS.

An epic drama about the life, love and creativity of the Kazakh poet Abai (1845-1904), an educator, thinker and politician of the 19th century.

XV century. In the vast expanses of Eurasia, the descendants of Genghis Khan create their own state. The promised land of Kazakh Khanate is resisting its enemies..

The main character, his wife and small son lose their way and become stuck on a country road. As a result, they have to spend the night in their car. The following morning, the main character awakens alone, his wife and son having mysteriously disappeared. His preliminary searches bring the hero to a small lonely house, in which an old man and a young woman live. It seems that these strange tenants know about him and his family but try to hide their knowledge. For what reason?

The tireless Kazakh master has no name. He feels no pain. He says no words. He returns from war to a big, dangerous city rife with corruption. The former war veteran shows no mercy, punishing the greedy and the rich. He has no choice – kill or be killed. He is determined to protect his missing younger brother's family by finding his brother's redheaded wife, all the while rebelling against the system and avoiding his many vengeful enemies.

Against the backdrop of a conflict between former friends, and now a soldier and a prisoner, events break out that will make them make a difficult choice. This choice changed the history and attitude to true heroism.

A lonely Russian man is trying to see his daughter, who lives with her mother far away in the USA.

The story of a boy whose childhood fell on the difficult war and post-war years. The film will tell about the formation of personality, character, attitude of the child, about the first disappointments, about the birth and realization of his dreams.