Discoveries from Kazakhstan World Cinema

A children's film based on a Kazakh folk tale.

Aruzhan hides her terminal illness from everyone and divorces her husband to find him a new wife to ensure his happiness after she's gone. But after discovering that she's actually perfectly healthy, she tries to find and win back her husband, only to find that things are much more complicated than they seemed.

The story of Jerken, a young stage director, obsessed with his love for and his life with the theater. Something terrible has happened, a girl has been murdered. In Jerken's diary, he deals with four themes: theater, dreams, the woman he loved, and a friend. An investigator shows up and takes the diary with him. He tries to reveal the reasons for this tragedy. The main theme of the film is the quest for inner harmony, for a balance between the human soul and objective reality.

Scaredy-cat

Marat is single, lives alone and works as a security guard. He lives his lonely life according to a never changing boring daily routine. Then, one day, something unusual happens. Marat sees a girl standing in the street near his house. The next day she reappears. The girl is called Mariyam and when she accidentally enters Marat’s life, his nights are turned into adventures.

A girl named Arna visits her grandmother in the village for the holidays. Arna doesn't know the local language and has to distribute shelpek to her neighbors. Fortunately, a neighbor named Akzhol comes to her aid. Together they start visiting neighbors' houses, but soon they notice that their houses are empty and no one lives in them.

“Meraki” in Greek describes what happens when a creator leaves a piece of himself in his work. For the married Aset and Indira, the meaning of this word turned out to be fateful. They make handmade ceramic tiles and put a piece of themselves into each tile. Their story is not only a story of love or joint creation. This is a story of connection and mutual support. The two of them gave up their regular jobs and income to pursue their dreams together. They are young and light, a new generation of young entrepreneurs. They do not build big plans and business with a million turnover, postponing life for later. Aset and Indira inspire to live here and now and be real.

This is the story of a six-year-old boy who lived in a formerly prosperous mining village, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the mine was closed and his father and mother were left without work. His father earns by selling bricks of abandoned houses. The boy lives in his fictional world. He dreams about school, but he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This diagnosis is made by a local doctor at the beginning of the film. This is the beginning of his drama.

Suddenly laid off from a factory staffed by deaf-mute people, Sveta’s house loan pushes her into a highly unethical line of work.

Former military Askar loses his wife and daughter. In order to somehow distract himself from the tragic events, he agrees to work as a bodyguard for the daughter of a successful businessman. However, over time, Askar's service becomes more and more dangerous: a hunt begins for the girl, and only the bodyguard can save her.

A popular instablogger with an audience of millions, Tim, lives on advertising revenue. One day, he is invited to the house of a rich businesswoman, Myra Zhanatovna, as a star at a party for her son, Asset. Tim agrees, unaware that Asset is only 10 years old.

Gauhar gives birth to twins, but Aidar's doubts about fatherhood jeopardize their relationship.

Aslan and Asima are an exemplary family. They met back in their student years, have been living happily ever since, they have a son and a daughter. Asima is undergoing another medical examination, and according to the results, the doctor informs her that "she has very little time left" Now Asima has only one option: to make her family happy. But how? At this moment, her friend Camilla comes to her aid…

The film is dedicated to the upcoming 150th anniversary of the birth of Kazakh writer and public figure Akhmet Baitursynov next year. Filming began in Almaty in November.

The life of two friends, simple electricians Alpamys and Aidar, changes dramatically after a clash with criminal circles. Having no other opportunity, they ask for help from a man who works as a man on call. But they didn't even know what was ahead of them…

Bakha, Sasha and Ruslan are best friends and they're constantly being bullied at school. Bakha wants to get stronger to fight hooligans and earn some respect in the neighborhood.

Twelve-year-old Malika’s entire life revolves around her mom Roza: she is her friend, her world, and her pillar. But when Roza decides to remarry, Malika understands that she will have to go to her father’s house, as the Islamic tradition dictates. Malika now faces the impossible dilemma between disrupting this new marriage and keeping the life she’s used to or sacrificing her own happiness for her mother’s.

"Zhetysu" is literally translated from the Kazakh language as "Seven rivers". This is the most ancient historical and geographical region of the Almaty region which is being studied by Kazakhstani archaeologists. Of particular interest to them is the era of the early nomads. Digging up ancient burial mounds, archaeologists are trying to trace the migration routes of the nomadic tribes of Altai and make an unexpected discovery.

The film is about a little girl Aigul, who got into trouble with her pet.

A modern parable about three brothers whom life has divided as they each went their separate ways. Of their happy childhood and adolescent years together, only a black-and-white photograph remains, capturing the three young men at a table in front of their family home, and memories of the greenhouse that was their father's pride.

The Great Silk Road is the name for a mountain trade route now identifiable only by train tracks; it is on these tracks that our film finds four children at play, not far from their Kirghizstan village. A train meanders down the mountain and, following an argument, an artist is unceremoniously thrown-off a carriage and (so) eventually encounters the children.

Single mother Madina teaches dance by day and works at a burlesque club by night. Fending off men’s advances, she raises a two-year-old daughter. Restrained imagery reflects her emotions.

The plot of the film tells about Tolegen, an ordinary worker in a furniture factory, and his boss named Temirbek. The boss is always unhappy with the employee, jokes about Tolegen and does not hide his dislike. However, fate decreed that it was Temirbek's daughter, Aruzhan, who became Tolegen's bride. What the young man is in no hurry to tell the future of kayin ata…

In the late 90s, after the ruin and decline of everything that was connected with hockey in the country, Kazakhstan is heading for the restoration of the industry. However, due to the withered infrastructure, the lack of players and the outflow of specialists abroad, the idea turns into a real test. How to create in the country a professional club of the international level of the KHL from the players of the Major League level? About the same as moving from socialism to capitalism. In order to nurture new Kazakhstani stars, Barys becomes the base club of the national team and enters the KHL international league. However, at the start, it becomes obvious that without reinforcement from the outside, there is nothing for Barca to do in the KHL. To gain a foothold in the league, the composition of local students is seasoned with skilled legionnaires from the NHL. However, on this basis, the entire club is overwhelmed by serious contradictions.

A young broker Timur, being on the verge of an emotional crisis due to problems at work and troubles with his wife, attracts a number of crazy and conflict situations. The consequences of one pseudo-fun evening will make Timur look at what is happening differently and understand how he can change his life.

Sunny Days is an account of five days in the life of its protagonist, who, during this brief period of time, is trying to find money to pay off his debts.

We are meeting again with our old acquaintances Yermek and his friends who are waiting for the completion of their families . Yermek became a respectable family man who struggles to provide for his wife and young son , but life began to corrode family relationships . And so, one day they find out in court that due to an error in the database, they were again divorced.

The picture reveals the problem of drug addiction in contemporary life. Drug addiction can be resisted by strong character young people while others lose everything: friends, love and life. Metiss is a talented rapper, who managed to overcome drug addiction, but paid high price for it losing the girl he loved. One day, he comes across Linda, a young woman whom he tries to save.

A blind old man lives in a lost way station. He intuitively determines the condition of the railway tracks, which are monitored by his son. Every month, a track meter equipped with state-of-the-art technology passes through the stop, but its readings differ from what the old man feels about the road. The son finds himself in a dilemma: which to trust more — his father's intuition or the indications of the computer? After all, the lives of hundreds of passengers depend on the right decision.

Teens set out to improve the lives of their fellow villagers. To achieve this, they combine their ideas and talents and start filming short videos about everyday life in their village. As they discover the power of TikTok, they realize that their village is the key to their success.

Businessmen from China are offered to sell the Kazakh GOK (Mining and Processing Plant). Oligarchs, petty officials, timid judges — each of them receives his share from the deal, however, one of them asks rare questions for an official: "Why sell the Homeland?" and "How much does it cost?"

Chouga is a beautiful, rich and beloved young woman. She is thirty and lives in Astana, the Kazak new capital. She is married to a famous scientist in his sixties and has a seven-year-old son. Her brother and sister-in-law live in Almaty. The couple is tearing apart and Chouga’s brother requests her to come and try to bring them back together. There she meets Ablaï, a rich and idle young man whom she strongly feels attracted to. Once back to Astana, Chouga tries to withstand this sensual attraction about which she has a premonition of a tragic outcome.

An MBA candidate's thesis is ruined when her younger sister escapes into the city. Two different characters, two different worlds, one night to share.

The film is about how a blind man goes from wintering to the village. On the way, he remembers the most significant episodes from his life. The road to the village becomes an allegory of a person's wandering in search of a goal. The simple values of life are laid bare before us…

Didar is a resident of a small village, whose father, Kayyrbek agha, died a year ago. He was a kind and respected man who helped everyone in everything. Before his death, the old man said that his heart should be transplanted to a sick person in need. Now Didar dreams about his father every night — the deceased asks for help. Didar finds out who got his father's heart, and together with his sister's brother and Zheng, he flies to the capital to the new owner. It turns out that the heart was transplanted to a very difficult person. This is the criminal authority Andrei, who killed hundreds, maybe thousands of people. It was only after the operation that the seasoned bandit began to change, acquiring the character traits of Kayyrbek agha. And now other bandits want to kill Andrei, who decided to quit crime.

The wives of three brothers are fighting over the family inheritance. A full-length sequel to the TV series of the same name

The main character of the film, 11-year-old Talgat, lives on the outskirts of Alma-Ata in a dysfunctional family that consists of alcoholic parents, six-year-old sister Guli and mentally ill uncle Nurik. Talgat goes to school, earns money, does household chores, takes care of Gul and his uncle, and also manages to enjoy the company of his best friends.

Four stories of real heroes who faced diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, autism and Down syndrome. The story tells what difficulties people with disabilities struggle with every day, about those for whom life is a struggle, a constant test. They overcome difficulties with their own perseverance, hard work and willpower.

In a small town, a corrupt major learns that his daughter has been raped by the chief of police. He takes him hostage and fights off the rape squads, while trying to save his daughter and establish a relationship with her.

Beck is ready to fight for his feelings at any cost, by coincidence involved in a brawl and standing up for a friend, he finds himself in a maelstrom of events that radically change his life. By helping friends solve problems related to the sale of land, our hero realizes that this is his chance to play his game. Life takes on a new breath, events change like in a kaleidoscope, the stakes are getting higher, and business is more dangerous. Our hero's career is making new turns up, he is not stopped by any criminal showdowns or dastardly attacks, he becomes recognizable by the fathers of the city. But all these are just steps towards the ultimate goal - to be together with your girlfriend...

He appears where someone needs help, and disappears before they have time to thank him. People say that when fate puts a person in front of a difficult choice, someone called Aldar is bound to be somewhere nearby.

Azamat was surprised when when three little dogs entered his grandfather's garden. But getting constantly in trouble, Granddad decides they've got to go. Azamat has to think fast on how he can save them from Grandad's strict order.

Children lie about their successes to their mother, who is also keeping a secret. A touching comedy that captured the hearts of viewers.

A 1993 Russian language documentary directed by Vladimir Tyulkin, starring Rasha Adan.

Ademoka is a headstrong and gifted 15-year-old girl whose big dream is to study. Her status as Lyuli an illegal immigrant from Tajikistan is a serious obstacle to this. She is exploited by her extended family and forced to beg on the streets, she manages to free herself from the family, when they get deported she has to choose between family and education. She gets helped on the way by some oddball characters, who come to her aid against the corrupt system and the patriarchal family.

Two guys work at a parking lot. They dream of getting rich but have no idea how to achieve it. One day, someone leaves an expensive car at the parking lot, and in its trunk, they find a huge sum of money.

Life turns out to be much simpler and more down-to-earth than we think about it.

At night in Shymkent, a drunk driver knocks down three pedestrians to death. The driver turned out to be the son of an influential businessman who wants to avoid punishment by giving a bribe to witnesses. Two agree, except for one - a young student who refuses to keep silent for money and demands to transfer the case to the prosecutor. How will the student manifest himself when all the other witnesses have agreed to remain silent - will he remain true to his principles or, like everyone else, will he take the money?

The story is about a young and daring crime boss named Sakura. He has great influence in the underworld, but fate presents him with an unforeseen twist. Faced with a powerful enemy, Sakura has to fight not only for her power, but also for her life.

Pakhraddin’s Aul migrated south to escape from the arbitrariness of the Goloshchekin’s government, who took their livestock and it is in trouble in the sands of Turkmenistan. The head of the clan, Biy Pakhraddin, decides to return to the Karakalpak city of Kungrad in order to save people. And people, having left their yurts in the sand, are walking on foot back to an unfamiliar city, where an unknown fate awaits them. Pakhraddin and his wife Syrga, having distributed the last pieces of bread to the children, send them to the city, and they die themselves of hunger in the sand.