Autumn festival of Kazakh films in Europe

Kazakh movies will be screened in five European cities. This year, the festival of national films will take place in Paris, Strasbourg, Brussels, Luxembourg, and Geneva.

The fourth festival of Kazakh films coincides with the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and France, as well as other countries of the European Union. The forum is attended by directors and actors, and other representatives of Kazakh, French, and world cinema. The Days of Kazakh Cinema kicked off in Paris with the premiere screening of the sports drama ‘The Paralympian’ directed by Aldiyar Bairakimov. In addition, the audience watched ‘Fire’, ‘Dawn of the Great Steppe’, ‘Tulpan’, and ‘The Return of Zoya’. The program also included screenings by the State Center for the Support of National Cinema.

“In general, such events are aimed at showing Kazakh films not only on the red carpet, but also in cinemas. That’s what the main purpose. They have to make foreign viewers get interested not in a particular event, but in a Kazakh-made film as a movie for distribution, to which you can come, buy a ticket. It has to be put not in one session, but in the whole distribution network with availability for two or three weeks,” Bauyrzhan Shukenov, Deputy Chairman of the State Center for Support of National Cinema, said.

For the first time this year, the film festival will include a competition between Kazakh and French film projects that will be evaluated by an international jury as part of the pitching process.

“I came here not just to watch Kazakh films. The festival also gives a chance for filmmakers from Kazakhstan to get some funding and co-production in France. I have a co-production fiction film project by Kazakhstan and France, that's why I'm here. As soon as I heard about it, I flew straight to Paris,” shares filmmaker Alina Mustafina.

The guests of the festival will be shown the first episodes of the acclaimed series ‘Infinity’. It is a fantastic story from the Kazakh steppes made for a French TV channel. Co-production was the main theme of this year's festival. Half of the eight submitted films are the result of successful co-production.

“The Kazakh film festival is being held for the fourth time, and it's getting bigger every year. It is very important for France, the country of cinema, the country which adores art and strives to discover or deepen knowledge about Kazakh cinema. It is extremely rich from the point of view of culture and civilization,” Malgorzata Oboron-Thouard, Ambassador of Friendship of Kazakhstan’s Ethnic Assembly, said.