- Program
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- Central Asia: At the Crossroads
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- Yurt – bu? Homeland – is?
Yurt – bu? Homeland – is?
Товарищ полицейский (Comrade policeman)
Assel Aushakimova, Kazakhstan, 2021, 12 min. Russian with English subtitles
druzhba narodov (friendship of peoples)
Intizor Otaniyozova, Kazakhstan, 2023, 25 min. Russian, Uyghur with English subtitles
Көк Дарбаза (Blue Gate)
Narghiza Dotieva, Kyrgyzstan, 2024, 18 min. Kyrgyz with English subtitles
Галя (Galya)
Yana Xarasho, Uzbekistan, 2024, 19 min. Russian with English subtitles
Country for Old Men
Sherzod Nazarov, Uzbekistan, 2024, 20 min. Tajik, Uzbek with English subtitles
The Old Turkic word “yurt” refers not only to a physical dwelling common in many nomadic cultures, but also to the broader concept of homeland. The five films in this programme invite you to look homewards and rethink home not as a fixed location, but as an idea, a memory, or a feeling. The protagonists search for, critique, and reconstruct their homes – sometimes with longing, sometimes with resistance. The film becomes a personal attempt to understand where we are among our own and where we feel like strangers. (CASFF)
druzhba narodov (friendship of peoples): Uyghur women gathered at a café in Sultan-Qorgan to compete in preparing traditional dishes. Food, dress, dance, language, song — everything needs to be preserved and remembered.
Көк Дарбаза (Blue Gate): A young man is drawn to a blue gate that stands sentinel, guarding memories of days past. Behind it resides an old blind woman, meticulously tending to her garden. The young man quietly watches her from across the wall, his secrets tethered to his silent observations of her solitary existence. What connects them? A quiet mystery unfolds, drifting through themes of coincidence and the delicate mysteries that connect us all.
Galya is a documentary film that explores the theme of memory through the prism of one grandmother’s life filmed over the course of decades using various media from old video cameras to modern mobile gadgets.
Country for Old Men: After a long wait caused by the pandemic, three lifelong friends - Fayzullo, Mardon, and Khamrokul finally chase their long-held dream in one last epic bike journey.
