Dzhamilya

Dzhamilya 1969

6.10

Based on the novel of the same name by Chinghiz Aitmatov. The action takes place during the days of World War II in one of the villages of Kyrgyzstan. The famous artist Seit recalls his childhood, his first unrequited love for Dzhamilya, the wife of his older brother, and the wounded front-line soldier Daniyar, whose songs taught to notice beauty... A poetic story about love, the secrets of creation, the national customs of the Kyrgyz people.

1969

The Legend of the Icy Heart

The Legend of the Icy Heart 1958

1

In this fantasy film inspired by a Kirghiz fairy-tale and Wilhelm Hauff's "Das kalte Herz," a powerful sorcerer puts a spell on a beautiful dancer, rendering her incapable of love until an infatuated shovel operator comes along.

1958

The Skies of Our Childhood

The Skies of Our Childhood 1966

7.10

Bakai is an old shepherd who lives in the country while his children have long grown accustomed to life in the city. When his youngest son pays him a visit, Bakai wants him to stay and help with the rigors of rural living.

1966

Amateur

Amateur 1987

1

After a serious conflict with the editor of a local newspaper, journalist Temir Ataev began working as a teacher at a boarding school for children of shepherds. The first difficulties did not frighten Temir. Captivated by his new work, Ataev was able to win over the children, who were mostly from disadvantaged families, and restore order in the teaching staff.

1987

Early Cranes

Early Cranes 1980

1

Sultanmurat is a 14 year old boy who lives in a small Kyrgyz village. All the men have gone off to war so he is left alone to tend to the horses who are weak with hunger.

1980

White Mountains

White Mountains 1964

5.50

Mukash is chased by officials, learns of the devastation of war from a blind woman and helps her daughter to freedom beyond the river crossing, he, having to choose a tragic solution.

1964

The First Teacher

The First Teacher 1965

5.60

Dyuishen is assigned to the mountainous Kirghiz region of Central Asia by the Young Communist League after he is discharged from the Red Army. It is 1923 and the Civil war has ended. The former soldier becomes a teacher, bringing the Leninist doctrine to the remote Moslem area where elders did not allow children to go to school. He falls in love with one of his students, but the young woman is sold by her father to a wealthy chieftain. When the school is burned down, the majestic poplar trees that are a source of local pride are cut down to rebuild the new structure.

1965

The Fierce One

The Fierce One 1973

4.60

A boy raises a wolf cub, but when released into the wild, it returns to attack him.

1973

The Trial

The Trial 1979

1

Adyl Sultanov is accused of involvement in a department store robbery case. The hero, confident in his innocence, nevertheless does not immediately trust the young lawyer and for some time loses hope, but soon begins to understand that he is under the protection of a principled professional who will certainly restore justice.

1979

Heat

Heat 1963

4.00

An idealistic high school graduate goes to work on a state farm on the Kazakh steppe, only to clash with its authoritarian leader.

1963

Death in the Name of Birth

Death in the Name of Birth 1988

1

Russian horse breeder Krasin arrives to 30s Kyrgyzstan to open the first Soviet stud farm here and breed a new breed of horses by crossing Don Argamaks and local Karabairs.

1988

The Red Apple

The Red Apple 1975

6.00

A chronicle of a few days in a small family, a story about the difficulties of human contacts, the complexity of love. The image of red apples - strong and clear, profound and lucid. Okeyev's "apple" bears a special meaning. Juices of the earth and sun, it is a lyrical symbol of happiness and harmony.

1975

Castles in the Sand

Castles in the Sand 1968

3.70

One of the highest achievements of the new wave of Kirghiz cinema, which emerged in the mid-1960s. This story of a boy building sandcastles on the shores of the Issyk-Kul Lake becomes a documentary parable on the tensions between an artist and society.

1968

Red Poppies of Issyk-Koul

Red Poppies of Issyk-Koul 1971

10.00

Directed by Bolotbek Shamshiyev, the movie shows Kyrgyzstan under early Soviet rule; and tells us about opium contrabanda across the border.

1971

The Cry of a Migratory Bird

The Cry of a Migratory Bird 1991

1

To avoid severe punishment for desertion, a man hides in the mountains near his native village.

1991

Gunshot at the Mountain Pass

Gunshot at the Mountain Pass 1968

6.20

About the Kirghiz aristocracy's attempt to battle the influx of Russian merchants in pre-Revolution days.

1968

Aylanpa – World in a Vortex

Aylanpa – World in a Vortex 1989

1

Just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, perestroika gave Chinghiz Aitmatov the opportunity to reflect on the goals and ideals of socialism and how it itself had denied them. In this essayistic film, starting with his personal life story (his father was shot as an enemy of the state, he himself was a highly respected student and artist in the Soviet Union) and the history of the Kyrgyz people (bearers of a vibrant and distinctive culture destroyed by socialism), he eventually arrives at big questions about the goal of human progress and the fate of humanity in the 21st century. "What will life be like for people in the 21st century?" he asks, not least in view of looming ecological catastrophes, and answers: That is the sole responsibility of humanity. Long difficult to find, the film has now been uploaded to YouTube in a restored 4K version by Kyrgyzfilm.

1989

The Descent of the White Leopard

The Descent of the White Leopard 1984

7.00

The Russian Descendant of the Snow Leopard is based on a famous Kirghizian folktale. Apparently the Kirghizian folks had plenty of time to tell this story: to print a full synopsis would result in a novelette. Essentially, the story involves a proud group of highland hunters called the Snow Leopards, who in order to survive a brutal winter must request help from the Lowland people. The price for this assistance is the hand of the Snow Leopard's daughter, who is promised in marriage to a wealthy Lowland trader. During the Springtime wedding celebration, the trader becomes fascinated by a stranger who wins all the athletic contests. This "male" contestant turns out to be a woman, who has arrived to seek freedom for her imprisoned husband. The subsequent romance between the trader and the beautiful stranger results in disaster and bloodshed for both the Snow Leopards and the Lowlanders.

1984

Don't Look for an Explanation

Don't Look for an Explanation 1982

1

Salia, an orphan, immediately after finishing her tenth year leaves her stepmother’s home, which she does not love, to a mining village to live with her uncle. On the road, she meets a handsome young man who works at the same mine as her uncle. Kind and sympathetic Azim helps the girl get a job and enroll in evening preparatory courses at the institute. Salia, completely inexperienced and deprived of human attention, takes simple human participation for something more. She is sure that this is a clear response to her first ardent love. But the young engineer loves Jamila and does not even think about another girl. By chance, having learned about the mutual love of Azim and Jamila, Salia experiences great grief, it seems to her that everyone has betrayed her and she is left alone again...

1982