ALMATY – The Kazakh documentary “Gingerbread for Her Father, My Great-Grandfather, Her Grandfather” by director Alina Mustafina has won the Sikay Tang Critical Lens Award at the 48th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), held from July 31 to Aug. 10 in New York.
Photo credit: Ministry of Culture and Information
According to the Ministry of Culture and Information, named after renowned filmmaker and editor Sikay Tang, the award honors documentaries that explore important social and cultural topics with depth and innovation. Although introduced only last year, it is already regarded as one of the most prestigious accolades in AAIFF’s documentary program.
Produced with support from the ministry and the National Cinema Support Center, the film is an autobiographical journey of three generations of women traveling through Kazakhstan, Poland and Tatarstan in search of their roots, language and identity.
The project has already garnered international recognition, including its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, a European debut in Turin, the Bright Debut prize at Almaty’s Bastau Film Festival and the Best International Feature Award at Tehran’s Cinéma Vérité festival. It has also been screened at the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen in Italy and the ORAI Festival in Kazakhstan.
Founded in 1978, AAIFF is the oldest Asian American cinema festival, serving as a key platform for Asian and Asian American filmmakers to share their unique stories and artistic perspectives with the world.
