ASTANA – “Road to Mother,” by Kazakh director Akan Satayev, will be released in U.S. theatres this fall. World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMP) announced July 10 it had acquired the North American distribution rights.
Photo credit: theroadtomother.com
The movie will be released in select theatres, including major metropolitan areas, with many Kazakh and Asian American organisations offering their support, reported the WWMPC press service.
Satayev and the film’s producers are proud of the movie’s American theatrical release.
“I am very happy that WWMPC’s marketing and distribution team could see that the film’s heartwarming story was truly universal and could be enjoyed by audiences anywhere in the world,” he said.
WWMPC CEO Paul Hancock noted the company’s highly regard for the historical drama.
“World Wide is very proud to be releasing a meaningful multigenerational drama that also carries with it the high prestige of being Kazakhstan’s official foreign language entry for the Oscars. Families throughout the United States, especially mothers, will surely embrace this heartwarming story,” he said.
The Kazakh Embassy in Washington D.C. recently screened the film. The main characters, Kazakh actor Adil Akhmetov (son Iliyas) and actress Altynai Nogherbek (mother Miriam), visited the mission.
“Road to Mother” premiered to critical acclaim at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival and has been screened at numerous other festivals. It won the Best Foreign Film, Best Film and Best Feature Film awards at the New York Eurasian Film Festival in the U.S., Marco Polo Film Festival in Croatia and WeLink International Film Festival in the U.S.
The film, set during one of the most tragic periods in the history of the former USSR, is the story of the power of a mother’s love enduring the challenges of turbulent times. The storyline covers the period from the 1930s to the present day and the effects of enforced collectivisation (1928-1940), the Second World War and the postwar years on the Kazakh people.
