Hollywood movies may disappear from the cinemas of Kazakhstan. After the Russia-related sanctions, this disturbing and controversial issue concerned both domestic distributors and numerous film fans. However, the day before, the country’s main film studio ‘Kazakhfilm’ announced its readiness to voice world premieres. The company has all the prerequisites for this, both technical capabilities and professional dubbing actors. There is just one thing, experts say – the cost and payback of this expensive process.
“According to standards, dubbing one film is quite expensive and much more costly than making subtitles. There was a proposal to start with Kazakh subtitles. If we receive films, the rights to these films, then it is better to start with subtitles before dubbing. Let me explain why. Firstly, it is much, much cheaper than dubbing. Secondly, we do two things at once, Kazakh subtitles and a film in English. This way, people can actually practice and improve the English language, which is also very good,” said Production Deputy Chair of Kazakhfilm Studio Aidar Batalov.
It takes about US$100,000 to make Kazakh actors voice world movie stars in one film alone. The high cost of dubbing is not the only threat to the disruption of the release of Hollywood premieres, it is also important to negotiate with the largest US studios.
“We can receive 30 to 50 films through a direct agreement, or through a regional distributor. I have doubts about the direct agreement, because the market is very small,” Batalov added.
In any case, the situation will become clear later. Until then, experts say to look on the bright side. For example, a plus is an opportunity to promote the domestic film industry. This year, ‘Kazakhfilm’ prepares five new films for wide release, including three dramas, two comedy films and one historical film.
Translation by Saniya Sakenova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
