Cvet, Kamera, Motor!
Or Lights, Camera, Action! Is this what they say in Russian when they film a movie?
Just an interesting article I came across the other day, Nazarbayev tries to set an example by personally taking an interest in Kazakhstani films [RU]. The President plans to visit movie theaters and watch Kazakh movies in order to encourage other people to follow his example. He says that because he is president, people tend to do what he does. For example, he was the first to ski at Skimbulak and the first to play tennis, making both activities popular. It would sound a bit egotistical if it wasn’t true that many civil servants and powerbrokers in Kazakhstan do try to follow his example in an attempt to curry his favor.
The President recommended that filmmakers create more films about the history of modern indepenedent Kazakhstan, citing the new capital, the chairmanship of the OSCE, the Islamic Conference and the Asian Winter Games of 2011, among the “dramas, loves and tragedies” of the 18 years of independence.
I agree that Kazakhstan needs to make more films. I like some of the films that have come out of Kazakhstan or been done with Kazakh participation like Nomads and Mongol. Schizo was an excellent film and Racketeer, while not a great movie, shows some potential. I look forward to watching the director’s most recent film (Brothers?). I just ordered Tulpan from Amazon.com and look forward to watching that.
But the fact is that there is a long way to go for Kazakh filmmakers. There have been some flops like Kek which was badly filmed, badly acted and difficult to follow. Birzhan Sal was well-acted and filmed not badly but it felt like it had no story. It just kind of drifted until he died. A number of Kazakh films have a sort of slow, drifting feel to them as opposed to a plot-driven or character-driven movie, which tends to turn me off. Now, this may just be an aesthetic difference of opinion. But some films really do show an objective lack of production values with bad cinematography, contradictory plot points, or confusing changes of scene.
Also, recently a member of Parliament declared that movies like Tulpan and Kelin shame the country by showing poor people who do not live in Western standards. I remember the same criticism being leveled at Schizo when it came out. Kairat Champion, a comedy about a man trying to win back his lover who has gone lesbian, sounds hilarious but has also received a fair amount of criticism as being immoral because it features a gay character. But if American filmmakers tried to make films that were only flattering to the US, we would never have films that are so popular in the former USSR like, “Gone With the Wind” or “Once Upon a Time in America”. Stars like Jim Carrey and Rowan Atkinson (who is British and plays Mr. Bean, of course) would be fired for making people think their compatriots are idiots! To let great films in Kazakhstan flourish, the authorities need to lay off on the moral criticism and let the artists work freely.
Another issue is that award-winning films like Tulpan aren’t even available on DVD in Kazakhstan. Nor are there commercials on TV about these films. I tend to hear about a new film, months after it has come out from a friend or colleague. Plus the theaters only show films for a week or two, so if you aren’t watching for a film, you’ll miss it. Theaters need to show movies for longer and advertise more in order to get people in. And Kazakh people need to be able to buy Kazakh films on DVD (or video or Blue Ray). Film making is a business and I don’t understand why there are habits or policies in place that limit sales.
So dear reader, what is your favorite Kazakhstani film? What should I be watching. I did post on this before and note down the answers but then sadly in the transition I lost my comments.
just saw kairat champion not too long ago, was pretty lame (bad storyline/acting/writing) and for some reason a need by the director to do a super close up on anyone who was talking’s face. but i support the idea/originality of an adult themed kazakh comedy movie.
Most importantly…you ordered Tulpan from Amazon.com………..and Amazon ships here?!?!?!
Amazon ships books, CDs and DVDs here. Haven’t found any other companies that ship directly here. Of course it depends where you live and how your mail service is. We get pretty good mail service at our current address–I suspect because the mailperson in pretty dedicated.
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