Kyrgyz film festival to open from Monday

Islamabad: Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic and PNCA (Pakistan National Council of the Arts) are collaborating in holding film festival and art exhibition at PNCA opening on Monday (May 8).

The film festival is lead by Director Sadyk Sher Niyaz movie ‘Kurmanjan Datka.’ The film takes us back to 1816. A visually impaired holy man in the cave is approached by a married couple with their daughter Kurmanjan for a boy son. The old wise man feels the presence of Kurmanjan and tells them that the girl is going to be worth ten sons. The country would need her tomorrow. As the couple comes out of the cave, we see the spiritual effect with fog around the cave.

As Kurmanjan grows up, we see her compassion, feelings and emotions in different situations. She helps out a woman from being stoned to death, wrongly accused of adultery. Even the two female witnesses, who stand for her innocence, are not being accepted under Shariah (feel the similarities to what is happening here).Kurmanjan helps to poor lady come to her senses and offers her a drink of water. Kurmanjan is later married in an elaborate ceremony and driven away on horseback (the portrayal of her mother-in-law as wicked evil woman is more a part of stereotyping characters). Things don’t work out with the in-laws and Kurmanjan returns to her home. What follows is raising the family with two sons and then moving into more serious national matters which includes resistance against the Russians in which she loses part of her family right before her eyes. Her son is hanged in public, despite her last-minute mercy appeals, even begging that she may be killed in his place.

Kurmanjan Datka is a film where our central character is larger than life. The director shows her going through betrayal and conspiracies where people are beheaded during their prayers. The impressive production effects include not just the aerial shots but horses are seen breaking through the stone walls. Kurmanjan now has no choice but to take command in her own hands. She defends her country and its freedom from the oppression of great powers. Bravery and resolve are at work here and even the Russians are seen respecting the lady with respect and dignity. Kurmanjan Datka brings all this with big money and impressive production values.

The other films from Kyrgyz include The Sky of our Childhood, Kojojash and Red Apple by director Tolomush Okeyev, Shot at the Pass Karash by Bolot Shamshiev, and White Steamship by Bolot Shamshiev. The subjects here include herdsman leaving nomadic for city life, progress coming into the mountains, complexities of love and life of hunters where nature comes with vengeance on a tribe. White Steamship is of particular interest where a seven-year old boy lives in an imaginary world. The real world outside is unjust, cruel and confusing.

The Embassy and PNCA are also opening an exhibition of fine arts and photography on May 8 in the National Art Gallery. Launching is at 5:30 p.m.

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