Astana – The Keruen Mall cinema hosted a preview of the historical four part movie Bauyrzhan Momyshuly on Dec. 4. It was filmed by renowned Kazakh director Akan Satayev.
Aidos Ukibayev, Chairman of the Board of Khabar, and actors who performed the leading roles Yerkebulan Daiyrov (Bauyrzhan Momyshuly) and Assel Sagatova (Zhamal – wife of Bauyrzhan) took the opportunity to address the public. The series’ premiere is scheduled for Dec. 17 on Khabar TV channel.
The idea for this historic project on Soviet Union’s Hero Momyshuly came from the Khabar Agency team. They trusted Satayev to restore the pages of recent history. The series was filmed in Talgar (Almaty region) and Minsk (Belarus).
The plot was based on the famed book Volokolamsk Highway by Alexander Bek, which depict the battles of November and December 1941 near Moscow. The authors claim they will provide the viewers with as much truth as possible from Momyshuly’s origins to the moment he met General Ivan Panfilov, commander of the famous Panfilov Guards Division, and became a battalion commander in 1941. Momyshuly heroically fought during the Great Patriotic War against the Nazis and later served in the army before retiring in 1955. Momyshuly, who was born in 1910 and died in 1982, was awarded numerous high-level awards during the war as well as the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously in 1990.
When Daiyrov of Auezov Academic Drama Theatre auditioned for the series, the crew immediately noticed his similarities with the legendary commander. Actress Assel Sagatova said that for her, it was a great honour to play the wife of such a complex and extraordinary man.
“There is very little information about the hero’s relationship with his family. The book of Zeinep Akhmetova, daughter in law of Momyshuly, who wrote about the days she spent with the hero, helped me a lot,” Sagatova said.
“It is a great honour to play the role of Momyshuly. In my opinion, courage and the inclination to defend the motherland and those close to them are in the blood of the Kazakh people. This is why our people should be proud of achievements of heroes such as Momyshuly. I hope that this series will help the younger generation appreciate the exploits of our warrior. Yes, he was a complex character, perhaps even biting. I tried to explore him as much as possible, how he looked, in which hand he held a cigarette and how he walked. I investigated a variety of materials, largely thanks to help from my fellow colleagues. I am very pleased that the Khabar Agency bet on such a project and Satayev made it a reality. Filming in Minsk was successful thanks to the work of our well-organized team. It was felt that the land was soaked with the blood of those who gave their lives for our freedom. I am confident that the series will interest the people of Kazakhstan,” Daiyrov said.
General Panfilov was played by Victor Ashanin. Lieutenant Kassenov was played by Sayat Issembayev.
