Hi all,
Let me start with some great news: I’m extremely proud and humbled that Turan Tales has been shortlisted for the Publisher Podcast Awards in two categories: Best Podcast Launch and Best Local and Community Podcast.
In the first category, we’re up against podcasts with real budgets produced by Politico, the Financial Times, and Bloomberg, which makes this an even bigger achievement, given that my podcast is literally made in my kitchen in Almaty.
I’m hoping to travel to London for the awards ceremony in July, so if any of you are planning to be there, feel free to message me.
This week, we’re diving into the fascinating history of Central Asian cinema and the ways Central Asia and Central Asians have been portrayed in foreign films. We’ll explore colonial tropes in portrayals of the region during Soviet times, how these representations influenced Central Asians’ self-image, and how they changed after the fall of the Soviet Union.
We’ll also talk about different waves in Central Asian cinema throughout the 20th century and into the present day.
Joining us is the best possible person to discuss these issues: Assiya Issemberdiyeva. She is a Kazakh film critic and researcher currently completing her PhD at Queen Mary University of London, where her thesis examines representations of Central Asia in Soviet wartime cinema.
She is a member of the Kazakhstan Film Critics Association, curator of Kazakh Film Week in London (2019, 2021), and producer-author of the KinoScope video essay series (El Arna, 2022–23).
Especially for you, I asked Assiya to compile a list of her favourite Central Asian films, here they are:
The Skies of Our Childhood (Небо нашего детства), dir. Tolomush Okeev, 1966
Atameken (Земля отцов), dir. Shaken Aimanov 1966(
They Call me Kozha (Меня зовут Кожа), dir. AbdollaKarsakbaev, 1963
Angel in a Cap (Ангел в тюбетейке), dir. Shaken Aimanov, 1968
The Mahalla is Buzzing (Об этом говорит вся махалля), dir. Shuhrot Abosov, 1960
Troubled Morning (Тревожное утро), dir. Abdolla Karsakbaev, 1966
You Are Not an Orphan (Ты не сирота), dir. Shuhrot Abosov, 1962
Shot at Karash Pass (Выстрел на перевале Караш), dir. Bolot Shamshiev
Angel on the Right Side, dir. Dzhamshid Usmonov, 2002 (no link)
Queen of the Mountains, dir. Sadyk Sher-Niaz, 2014
Biography of a Young Accordion Player (Жизнеописание юного аккордеониста), dir. Satybaldy Narymbetov, 1994
The Gift to Stalin (Подарок Сталину), dir. Rustem Abdrashev, 2008
Harmony Lessons (Уроки гармонии), dir. Emir Baigazin, 2013
Little Brother (Бауыр), dir. Serik Aprymov, 2013
Dark, Dark Man (Черный, черный человек), dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov, 2019
Cardiogram (Кардиограмма), dir. Darezhan Omirbaev, 1995
The Secret оf A Leader (Тренинг личностного роста), dir. Farkhad Sharipov, 2018
Abai (Юность Абая), dir. Ardak Amirkulov, 1995
The Fall of Otrar (Отырардың күйреуі), dir. Ardak Amirkulov, 1991
Sweetie, You Won’t Believe Me! (Жаным, ты не поверишь!), dir. Ernar Nurgaliev, 2020
2000 Songs of Farida, dir. Elkin Tuichiev, 2002
Killer (Киллер), dir. Darezhan Omirbaev, 1998
Poet (Акын), dir. Darezhan Omirbaev, 2021
Red Pomegranate (Красный гранат), dir. Sharipa Urazbaeva,2021
Madina, dir. Aizhan Kassymbek, 2023
The Owners (Хозяева), dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov, 2014
Bauyryna Salu (Бауырына салу), dir. Askhat Kuchincherekov, 2023
The River (Река), dir. Emir Baigazin, 2018
Amanat (Аманат), dir. Satybaldy Narymbetov, 2016
I hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Have a lovely end of the week,
— Agnieszka
