ASTANA – “The Crying Steppe,” a film directed by Marina Kunarova and produced by Yerlan Malikov, won the Grand Prix at the Fifth Eurasian Creative Guild (ECG) Film Festival, reported Kazinform on May 31.
Gareth Stump, the chairman of the Eurasian Creative Guild (C).
Photo credit: Eurasian Creative Guild’s Facebook page
The movie about the tragic Kazakh famine as a result of the Soviet collectivization campaign in the 1930s, has been recognized as a vivid embodiment of the Kazakh nomadic culture and was highly praised by experts and viewers.
“The Grand Prix award is a prize not only for Kunarova but also for everyone who is involved in cinematography in Kazakhstan. It demonstrates their creativity to the world,” said Gareth Stump, the chairman of the ECG.
“Awakening of a Sleeping Beauty” by Akbobek Tolzhanova won the Audience Award, while Said Ashirbayev was named as the best young director for his movie “Selected.”
“House” by Zhorabek Musabayev was recognized as the best script in the Russian language.
“Kazakhstan presented the most profound, powerful and memorable films of the festival,” said Natalie Wong, one of the judges.
As part of the fifth ECG Film Festival, the Days of Kazakh Culture was organized in London on May 25-30. The program included screenings of Kazakh movies, an exhibition of Central Asian artists, including works by eight authors from Kazakhstan, musical performances and a presentation of new books by the Hertfordshire Press.
The music video “The Story of One Sky” by Kazakh popstar Dimash Kudaibergen was also shown during the Kazakh culture evening.
“The event was organized by ECG together with the Dimash fan club in the United Kingdom. The delightful music video was met with a huge wave of applause, as Dimash’s amazing voice makes listeners stop for a moment and just enjoy every note,” said Marat Akhmedzhanov, the vice-chairman of the ECG and founder and publisher of the Hertfordshire Press.
The final day of the festival included the presentation of the book “Confrontation” by Dulat Isabekov, playwright and laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan, and a performance by Kazakh artist Yerlan Ryskali. He is a laureate of the Poezja Londyn Foundation and was awarded the Barbara Navrotskaya medal for his contribution to Eurasian culture promotion at the international level.
This year, the festival received applications from 18 countries. It includes Azerbaijan, Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, France, Georgia, Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Kyrgyz Republic, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
