On November 24, the grand opening of the XVII International “Eurasia” Film Festival took place in Almaty, reports Adyrna’s correspondent.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent a special congratulatory letter to the participants of the film festival. The letter was read out by the Minister of Culture and Information, Aida Balayeva. In the President’s message, it was emphasized that special attention is being given to supporting national cinematography in the country.
“The ‘Eurasia’ Film Festival has become an important cultural brand for Kazakhstan and all of Central Asia. In this regard, I would like to especially highlight the jury composed of world-renowned foreign filmmakers and experts.”
The festival featured two main competitions. The International Competition was chaired by the legendary filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The jury for this competition included Rano Shodieva (Uzbekistan), Nada Azhari Gillon (France), Artykpai Suindikov (Kyrgyzstan), and Yerlan Nurmukhambetov (Kazakhstan).
Meanwhile, the competition for films from Central Asia and the Turkic World was chaired by Chinese director Li Baohua. The films were evaluated by Abdelilah El Jaouhari (Morocco), Alexei Telnov (Russia), and Kazakh producer Zhanna Kuanyshova.
The jury also included Nina Kochelyaeva (Russia), Gulbara Tolomushova (Kyrgyzstan), and André Raphael Ivanov (France).
“Before the opening ceremony, we discussed collaboration opportunities with the jury members. All participants expressed their readiness to work together. I am confident that this cooperation will bring new ideas and perspectives to the development of Kazakh cinema,” said Aida Balayeva.
The International “Eurasia” Film Festival will run from November 24 to 30, with participation from more than 15 countries.
