Kazakh cinema is gaining growing recognition on the global
stage. The high level of skill demonstrated by the country’s actors and
directors continues to draw attention to Kazakhstan’s culture and arts. Films
by Kazakh filmmakers are increasingly featured at international festivals in
Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. Most recently, Kazakh actor Bakhyt Khajibayev won
the Best Actor award at the SCO Film Festival in China. In total, 20 films from
10 countries took part in the competition.
«Many countries presented exceptionally strong films, and we
understood that the competition would be intense. So when we found out that our
film had received the nomination for Best Actor, it was, of course, a shock - a
pleasant one, filled with emotion. It was unexpected in some ways, but also a
moment of immense pride. Above all, this award is a recognition of the
remarkable talent of our actor, Bakhyt Khajibayev, who played the lead role in
the film. It’s also a tribute to the dedication and hard work of our entire
team. And ultimately, this award belongs to the country - to Kazakhstan and to
all our viewers,» said filmmaker Rashid Suleimenov.
The national pavilion featured 25 feature, documentary, and
animated films. Among them, the jury recognized the film Operation Nabat, which
is based on real events. It tells the story of
a passenger bus hijacking involving 30 hostages in February 1992. Thanks
to the professionalism of Kazakhstan’s security forces, the operation ended
without any casualties.
«The story takes place in 1992, after the collapse of the
USSR, when the former Soviet countries were exchanging prisoners. In February
of that year, a group of prisoners was being transferred from Uzbekistan to
Samara, Russia. Somewhere at a remote
station in the steppe, four or six prisoners - I don’t remember exactly -
overpowered the guards, pulled the emergency brake, and fled into the open
steppe. They were soon surrounded but managed to hijack a passenger bus on the
Kyzylorda-Saryagash route. Everything in the film is based on real events -
from beginning to end. Every scene, every mise-en-scène. This case has been -
and still is - studied in theoretical courses for security forces and is
included in their training manuals. That’s why this story needed to be brought
to the screen,» Suleimenov added.
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