ASTANA – The historical film “Zhambyl. A New Era,” which began filming in 2021 to mark the 175th anniversary of Kazakh poet Zhambyl Zhabayev, will be released on June 6, reported the Culture and Information Ministry’s press service. The movie has recently been presented in Astana.
Photo credit: gov.kz
The film chronicles the last nine years of the great poet’s life, during which time he left an indelible mark on the history of Kazakh literature. It highlights significant events that shaped his life, including a meeting of akyns (traditional Kazakh poets), the publication of poems in newspapers and magazines, and his interactions with Oraz Zhandosov, Saken Seifullin, and other prominent figures of that era.
According to director Zhandos Kussainov, the film is grounded in historical facts from Moscow archives. What is captivating is that the film uses information preserved by the grandson of Joseph Gilman, who worked with Zhabayev.
“The name of Zhambyl is overgrown with many unreliable myths and I really wanted to portray a true image of the great akyn. To immerse myself in that era and uncover real facts, I studied documents and books written by contemporaries. At the same time, I was not shooting a documentary film, I reserved the right to artistic truth, not just historical truth,” Kussainov said.
The lead role is played by actor Doszhan Zhanbotayev. The cast also features Almas Shayakhmetov, Anna Starchenko, Assan Mazhit, Yerik Zholzhaksynov, Farhod Maxmudov, Philip Voloshin, and Assylbek Aitish.
