The Road From Karakol

Aslanbek

December 2021 •English

We get to meet Aslanbek—a teenage shepherd in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. “Aslanbek” is a story exploring the dynamics of relationship between humans and animals, what we can learn from the mountains, and about dreams. In short, it's a story about our forgotten values.

Jayuk

January 1998 •Kyrgyz

A 20-minute documentary film about the Kyrgyz people living by the Narym River.

Castles in the Sand

August 1968 •Russian

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.

Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan

December 2011 •English

In the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan, tradition is king. Polo's still played with a freshly killed goat and the men still marry their women the old-fashioned way: by abducting them off the street and forcing them to be their wife. Bride kidnapping is a supposedly ancient custom that's made a major comeback since the fall of Communism and now accounts for nearly half of all marriages in some parts.

Wings of Kyrgyzstan

January 2019 •English

As „wings of men“ they became the faithful companion of a great nomadic nation thousands of years ago. Today, 28 years after the Soviet occupation, the little horse is an essential part of the cultural heritage and the search for identity of the modern Kyrgyz people. Based on its own story, a so called „good brown horse“ leads through the film and offers an insight of what it could mean to be „todays wings of men“. Told by a horse’s voice and through its eyes, this short film still is a documentary, but also a poetic journey to a nomadic culture.

We're Going the Same Way

March 2018 •English

At the non-places of this world lie the struggles of nobodies, to improve, overcome and survive. Their struggles suffocate them, they forget to live. They dislocate them, bring them together and pull them apart. Father and son share simple dreams and a lifetime on the road. Along an unromantic Silk Route they try to make some come true. Searching for a more livable future they break apart. As working class heroes they accept their fate. The film examines the added value of honesty in our actions.

The Amazing Country of Kyrgyzstan

February 2008 •English

You will discover a mysterious world where monuments of the great civilizations of the past intertwined with the corners of unspoiled nature, you will conquer the highest peaks and fantastic caves, you will dive into the refreshing coolness of emerald lakes and living fairy tale medieval east. The roar of wind and the murmur of flowing mountain streams complement the playing of the Kyrgyz music, taking you in the wonderful world - Kyrgyzstan. Travel Documentary hosted by Vitaliy Podstrechniy and Yulia Podstrechnaya

The Devil's Bridge

January 1997 •Kyrgyz

Life in a Kyrgyz aul (village) in the mountains connected to the rest of the world by a cable bridge, and the teenage boys who are constructing the rope of the bridge. A rope bridge which the locals call “The devil’s bridge” forms part of each and every event which takes place in a small village lost in the mountains of the Kyrgyz Republic. A platform driven by a huge winch which they have to pull with their own strength to cross the torrent is their only link with the outside world. But the director of the documentary wondered something else: “Does this bridge unite or does it actually separate?” Through the mist and over the thrashing waters, the inhabitants of the area glide along their ropes. A film, in the director’s own words, about ordinary people who live in an extraordinary place.

Where the Sky Meets the Land

September 1999 •German

Documentary feature about Kyrgyzstan, the home of the poet Tschingis Aitmatov and his characters, encounters with nomads, Kyrgyz traditions and the impressive scenery.

The Wedding Chest

December 2005 •Russian

Aïdar, a young Kyrgyz man returns home from his studies in France, with a beautiful French fiancée in tow. His fiancée is warmly welcomed by the village and captivated by the beauty of the region, but he stubbornly refuses to tell his family that the two are engaged.

Алымкан

October 1966 •Russian

Centaur

December 2017 •Kyrgyz

Centaur lives a modest life with his family in rural Kyrgyzstan until he abruptly becomes the center of attention when he is caught stealing a racehorse at night. A story inspired by the myth when horses became the wings of men.

Finding Mother

February 2017 •Russian

A precocious orphan from Central Asia comes to America to find his long lost mother. Along the way he befriends a down on his luck small time hustler, and together they set in motion a daring scheme to solve all their problems. However, things don't go according to plan.

A Father's Will

September 2016 •Kyrgyz

After living as an immigrant in the USA for 15 years, Azat flies to Kyrgyzstan to his family village. His father, Murat, died in the USA a year ago. It was his dying wish to pay back the money he owed to the villagers. Azat discovers the family home derelict. Choro, the younger brother of Murat, and their relations left a long time ago. Despite most villagers not liking him. One day, Choro, who was imprisoned because of Murat, arrives and the most important question about Murat's will is decided.

Sanzhyra

April 2001 •Kyrgyz

Lyrical tragicomedy. The eyes of the young hero, who will go through the rite of circumcision, shows the life of a Kyrgyz village on a holiday day.

The Song of the Tree

March 2018 •Kyrgyz

Esen, a young man who has been expelled from his village, escapes with the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the village. Whilst being pursued, he is forced to fight for her hand in a battle that results in the destruction of a sacred totem tree. This puts the whole village in jeopardy, and it is up to Esen to redeem himself and save them all.

Dzhura

August 1964 •Russian

The end of the 1920s — the beginning of the 1930s in Kyrgyzstan. Parts of the Red Army are waging an uncompromising struggle with basmachi in Central Asia. The film tells about the formation of the character of the young Kyrgyz hunter Djura, who found himself in a swirling whirlpool of revolutionary events that swept the Pamirs. It shows the hard way from a simple young hunter, entangled in centuries of prejudice, to a conscious, seasoned in many battles with the Basmachi mature fighter, who believed in the great ideas of the revolution.

Dzhamilya

October 1969 •Russian

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.

The Endless Summer

June 1966 •English

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

Land Without Bread

December 1933 •Spanish

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)