A Beginner’s Guide to Kazakh Cinema: What to Watch

Musical comedy is an unusual genre for Kazakh cinema. In his romantic comedy, Shaken Aimanov managed to tell the story of a lonely geography teacher and his mother, both of whom find love over the course of the plot. The characters are distinguished by their warmth and endearing simplicity: Sholpan Altaibaeva, who played the role of Aisha, shared in an interview that Aimanov wrote the roles specifically for the lead actors. Meanwhile, sunny Almaty—with its striking modernist architecture—feels like an independent character in the film today.

Alongside romantic comedies, Soviet Kazakhstan in the 1960s also produced "Easterns"—action-crime films set in the East designed as a response to the Western genre. Anxious Morning (Trevozhnoye utro) serves as a striking example of the Kazakh Eastern: set against the backdrop of a scorching, endless steppe, it tells the story of the struggle to establish Soviet power in Turkestan. At the center of the plot is a commissar who finds himself trapped in the same cell as the very criminal he captured.

The thriving animation industry of Soviet cinema allowed a famous Kazakh legend to take on new life in this animated film, telling the story behind the creation of the national musical instrument, the dombra. The distinct aesthetic of Soviet animation feels exceptionally fresh and compelling when infused with the vibrant colors and motifs of Kazakh culture.

Nugmanov's film stands as a prime example of the liberated Kazakh cinema of the 1980s, bringing local stories and unconventional characters—drug addicts, rockers, and rebellious youth—to audiences unaccustomed to such themes in Soviet cinema. Working with the leftover budget from an unproduced project at Kazakhfilm, Nugmanov crafted a compelling narrative about a young man trying to save a girl from addiction. The film's immense success, both on the festival circuit and among general audiences, launched the stellar careers of both Nugmanov and lead actor Viktor Tsoi, who had previously been blacklisted by the KGB.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Kazakh cinema began to breathe more freely—shedding Soviet propaganda and opening doors for emerging filmmakers. Running Target stands as one of Temenov's earliest works. The film is notable for its boldness, following a young student hiding from authorities in the home of Baba Zina after participating in the December 1986 political unrest (Jeltoqsan).

Kazakhstani cinema continued to tell bold, unprecedented stories to its audiences. Narymbetov's film, a drama centered on the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, is described as a collective pain shared by the entire Kazakh nation. The plot unfolds in the 1960s in a rural aul near the test site, where residents remain entirely unaware of the nuclear detonations and their devastating consequences. Death and cruelty stand in stark contrast to the innocence of the villagers: local children eagerly climb onto rooftops just to catch a glimpse of the mushroom clouds with their own eyes. At the center of the story is Leila, a young girl whose parents suffered the tragic aftermath of the tests, and who now seeks to build a family and life of her own.

In its premiere year, Baigazin's film sparked immense excitement and widespread discussion. It made a major splash on the global festival circuit, making its world premiere in the competition program of the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. The story centers on a schoolboy named Aslan, who suffers severe bullying at the hands of his peers, ultimately developing a personality disorder as a result. Marked by its meticulous narrative structure, the picture fully immerses the viewer in its complex and demanding plot.