New Kazakh Film “The Horse Thieves” Starring Samal Yeslyamova Is Released in French Theaters

NUR-SULTAN – The new Kazakh film “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” starring Samal Yeslyamova has been released in theaters across 21 cities in France, reported Kazinform on July 29.

Photo credit: Kazakhfilm.

The film tells a tale of a close-knit family whose serene life is shaken when a gang of horse thieves kills the father of the family. Olzhas, the 12-year-old son of the murdered man, is grieving over the death of his father and is trying to cope with the grief gripping him and his family. 

“The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” was produced in 2019 but did not hit theaters until now due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The film is directed and written by Kazakh director Yerlan Nurmukhambetov. Lisa Takeba from Japan is also a director of the movie. 

The main roles are played by Yeslyamova, Japanese actor Mirai Moriyama, Madi Minaidarov and Dulyga Akmolda. Moriyama, who is Japanese, plays a Kazakh man and speaks Kazakh for the entirety of his performance on screen. 

Yeslyamova is known for her titular role in “Ayka” directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy, for which she received the prestigious Best Female Actress award at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. 

In October 2019, “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” ​​participated as an opening film of the 24th Busan International Film Festival.

The film is yet to hit theaters in Kazakhstan. 


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