NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and Turkey will shoot a joint historical film and series. The leading Turkish and Kazakh television channels are working on the “Alp-Arslan” historical series consisting of six episodes, according to the 24.kz news agency.
Alp-Arslan, meaning “heroic lion” in Turkish, is given to Muhammad bin Dawud Chaghri for his military prowess and fighting skills.
Alp-Arslan means “heroic lion” in Turkish, a name given to the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire who by inheriting the territories of eastern and western Iran in 1063-1072, conquered Georgia, Armenia and most of Asia Minor, defeating the Byzantines.
“Kazakhstan and Turkey share a similar story. Thus, we have dreamed for a long time about implementing the joint project,” said Yahiya Tayyip Aydeniz, director of the film studio of Turkish Radio and Television Corporation.
The Minister of Information and Social Development Aida Balayeva visited the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation in Istanbul, where she got acquainted with the peculiarities of the production of media products during her working visit to Turkey.
The famous Turkish producer Emre Konuk is also ready to take part in a joint project on the creation of a series with Kazakhstan.
“We plan to start working on the ‘Alyp-Arslan’ historical series consisting of six episodes. It was decided to shoot the battle scenes in the Kazakh steppes. We discussed it in detail with the Minister Balayeva. Also, we offered to make a film about Korkyt Ata. The whole world should know about him,” said producer Konuk.
The film studio covers about 50 hectares of land, 12 of them are covered with forest and the rest of the area has special pavilions for filming. Today, the studio is working on the creation of several historical television series. One can meet Kazakh stuntmen and even hear the dombra playing. The Kazakh national musical instrument is increasingly featured in Turkish films, reports 24.kz news agency.
“A year ago, we started building the site for the international film studio Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. Today we looked through it together with the Kazakh delegation. We are already working with the Nomad Stuntsteams and the Hassak ethno-folklore ensemble,” said Aydeniz.
Turkey is named as the second largest producer of television series’ globally after the US. In 2018, Turkish media products’ worth reached US$500 million. More than 700 million viewers have watched the famous “Magnificent Century” series, a Turkish historical fiction television series based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. The producers intend to double that figure. Experts have calculated that the Turkish film industry will reach US$1 billion in profits by 2023.
