Asian Film Archive Brings 15 Films From Central Asia to the Forefront With Latest Programme1 min read
Reading Time: 1 minuteThe Asian Film Archive will shine a spotlight on films from an often-overlooked region on the world film stage with Whose House is This?: New Cinema of Central Asia.
The programme, presented exclusively at the Oldham Theatre from 22 October to 21 November 2021, features 15 films, most of which are made by women directors, across a diverse range of countries, themes, and genres.
From propaganda pieces to gritty social realist films of the 1980s and 1990s, these films from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, will tackle issues of culture, gender, nationhood, and identity.
For more information on the programme and for ticket purchases, head over to the main programme page here.
Highlights include:
Ayka
Dir. Sergey Dvortsevoy
The Kazakhstani film treads the line between social realist drama and thriller, and traces the journey of an undocumented Kyrgyz migrant to Moscow. The film, based on the recent wave of migration from Central Asian countries to Russia, won the Best Actress award at Cannes in 2018.
Suleiman Mountain
Dir. Elizaveta Stishova
A blend of a road movie, comedy and family drama, the Kyrgyzstani film follows Karabas, a hard-drinking gambler who has never really grown up and barely gets by with his pregnant young wife. When his first wife claims she has found their long-lost son Uluk, the four have to learn how to live together. The film won both the Best Film award at the 2018 Kalory Vary International Film Festival and the 2017 Pingyao International Film Festival.
Aurora
Dir. Bekzat Pirmatov
Taking place over the course of a single day in a strange Soviet-era spa resort, the Kyrgyzstani film weaves together crime, comedy and social commentary, providing an enchanting insight into present-day Kyrgyzstan. The film was selected as Kyrgyzstan’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards
