Day Three -- Saturday -- 20 September 2025

Departure Location: UCA Campus Parking; Khan Tengri Hotel

Location: Cinema One (Blue), Univer Cinema

Through diverse cinematic languages—from documentary to fiction, animation to expanded experimental forms—these five shorts weave together narratives about personal and collective journeys. They explore cross-border connections to homeland, female leadership, questions of belonging and citizenship, individual agency, and the transformative power of storytelling, asserting their presence and perspectives in spaces where marginalized voices seek recognition.

A Long Letter to Love (7'25'') dir. Nika Krikun, Ukraine – Visual poetry in two parts discovered by the Narrator through dance. Each movement becomes a visual expression of her inner voice. The Narrator is trapped in the abandoned house of her own mind.
Feasting Junta (7') dir. André Córdova Rudstedt, Chile – The men of the Chilean junta indulge in lavish celebrations while their nation crumbles around them.
Comrade Policeman (12'19'') dir. Assel Aushakimova, Kazakhstan – The journalist of the Kazakhstan state television channel has to make a report about the police image campaign.
A Dance Alone For Two (12') dir. Mehr Said, Tajikistan – In the past, a migrant worker, 36-year-old Rano became an ambitious theatrical director in a theatre in a small Tajik town. Despite many difficulties, Rano has to make great efforts to breathe life back into the provincial theatre.
Xena's body (12') dir. Occitane Lacurie – A reflection on the iPhone as more than a mirror—an intimate device that tracks the body while entangling knowledge, power, and desire.

Location: Cinema One (Blue), Univer Cinema

This program showcases five films that deliberately expand the boundaries of cinema as an alternative means of addressing the most pressing stories of our time. When conventional narratives fall short, these works forge new cinematic languages to capture urgent realities across Central Asia and beyond—exploring land dispossession, colonial legacies, environmental crisis, gender struggles, and displacement through innovative visual and narrative techniques. By reimagining what cinema can be and do, each film demonstrates how experimental approaches become necessary tools for telling stories that demand to be heard, using form itself as both message and method in confronting realities that traditional storytelling cannot fully encompass.

ILI ILI (15'29'') dir. Guzel Zakir, Kazakhstan - A collective memory of the first Uyghur migration from China to Kazakhstan. (1950–1966), where the Ili River emerges as both a landmark and a symbol of migration’s losses and hopes.
Balqash Song (19'40'') dir. ArtCom Collective, Kazakhstan
Aralkum (13'43'') dirs. Daniel Faezi & Mila Zhluktenko, Uzbekistan & Germany – Aralkum is a cinematic kaleidoscope where the Aral desert flickers back into its former sea — sand becomes water, and an old man once more a fisherman.
Dert (12'7'') dir. Ali Zhetpis, Kazakhstan – In the Kazakh steppe, a family’s quiet morning is disrupted when two strangers leave a slot machine behind. As Merei becomes entranced by the game, tension rises and time itself seems to stand still.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

Location: Cinema One (Blue), Univer Cinema

Three Central Asian films that confront the harsh reality of young people forced into adulthood before their time. From a motherless daughter facing physical transformation in isolation to sisters trapped in cycles of arranged marriage for financial survival, to intimate family dynamics that shape a young girl’s understanding of her place in the world, each film exposes how premature responsibility and loss of agency mark these transitions.

The Goldfish (12'3'') dir. Aizhamal Mirbek, Kyrgyzstan – Sezim, a young girl, is left alone when her father - her only relative - mysteriously disappears.
First Time (11'21'') dir. Meerim Dogdurbekova, Kyrgyzstan – A motherless girl undergoes a profound change that marks her passage into adulthood, while her father remains unaware of her physical and emotional struggles.
Lukhtak (15'16'') dir. Samariddin Mukhitdinov, Tajikistan & China – Facing financial hardship, a Tajik family marries off their underage daughter for a bride price, trapping her and her younger sister in a generational cycle of suffering.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

Location: Cinema Two (Yellow), Univer Cinema

Between Earth and Sky brings together five films examining how geography shapes destiny across Central and South Asia, from sacred landscapes scarred by conflict to urban spaces that become both sanctuary and confinement. Through varied cinematic approaches and directorial perspectives, these shorts explore flood-ravaged regions where resilience flows alongside destruction, traditional territories where nomadic peoples assert belonging, and rural lands where women forge new paths of stewardship. Each narrative reveals how communities develop survival strategies within geographical and social boundaries, illuminating how territory, displacement, and rootedness intersect with questions of belonging and the right to exist within one's chosen or inherited geography.

In Zaynab's Heaven (25') dir. Ali Mehdi, Pakistan, Lebanon & United Arab Emirates –A Hazara filmmaker follows a gravestone maker, a water girl, and a man who buried his own limb, capturing their daily lives within a graveyard.
The Bag (8'31'') dir. Habib Shahzad, Pakistan – Amid displacement, a boy’s hold on holy relics becomes a fragile beacon of hope, where innocence speaks the secret language of the divine.
Roza Eje (19'4'') dir. Faridun Karabozov & Erik Stybaev, Kyrgyzstan – For 30 years, Roza Eje has driven a milk truck through Karakol, enduring grueling physical labor and navigating complex human relationships. Her perseverance not only sustains her livelihood but also shapes the community around her.
The Silence After The Storm (10'47'') dir. Alina Rizwan, Pakistan – In flood-stricken Sindh, a young boy rewrites his rain-soaked dreams as classrooms turn to rivers and lessons flow with resilience — a story of youth redefining life’s horizon.
We Are At Home (13'51'') dir.Shakhzoda Mirakova & Darya Gusmanova, Uzbekistan – The untold stories of the Luli, Central Asian Roma, highlighting their resilience and struggle for a rightful place in society.

Location: Cinema Two (Yellow), Univer Cinema

Each work demonstrates how emerging filmmakers transform personal experience into cinema that illuminates broader social realities.

Co-exist (12') dir. Komeil Soheili, Iran – On Iran’s Hormuz Island, blind captain Dela sustains an old bread-making tradition with three unique island elements — fish he hears in the sea, natural salt, and edible soil — against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tension.
Rock Berkut (11'33'') dir. Tamerlan Almanov, Kazakhstan – Berkut, a hyperactive boy, discovers rock music and finds unexpected calm and focus — prompting his mother to enroll him in lessons.
Pain of Yore (10') dir. Alisho Qonunov, Kyrgyzstan – An otherwise enthusiastic professor of literature, teaching “War and Peace”, is disheartened by an inattentive classroom, which prompts him to recall and share his own war story – a story of tragedy, despair, and pain.
Strings of Belonging (20') dir. Umed Qurbonbekov, Tajikistan – In Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains, the ancient rubab weaves a tapestry of memory, faith, and identity, as musicians and craftsmen strive to preserve their heritage while navigating the tides of change.
Alikhan's Village (14'30'') dir. Dastan Borkosh, Kyrgyzstan – In his small village, Alikhan helps his father with chores before joining friends to play the traditional Kyrgyz game of alchiki, knowing everyone and their nicknames by heart.

Location: Cinema Two (Yellow), Univer Cinema

Three Central Asian films that confront the harsh reality of young people forced into adulthood before their time. From a motherless daughter facing physical transformation in isolation to sisters trapped in cycles of arranged marriage for financial survival, to intimate family dynamics that shape a young girl’s understanding of her place in the world, each film exposes how premature responsibility and loss of agency mark these transitions.

Rock Berkut (11'33'') dir. Tamerlan Almanov, Kazakhstan – Berkut, a hyperactive boy, discovers rock music and finds unexpected calm and focus — prompting his mother to enroll him in lessons.
The Goldfish (12'3'') dir. Aizhamal Mirbek, Kyrgyzstan – Sezim, a young girl, is left alone when her father - her only relative - mysteriously disappears.
First Time (11'21'') dir. Meerim Dogdurbekova, Kyrgyzstan – A motherless girl undergoes a profound change that marks her passage into adulthood, while her father remains unaware of her physical and emotional struggles.
Lukhtak (15'16'') dir. Samariddin Mukhitdinov, Tajikistan & China – Facing financial hardship, a Tajik family marries off their underage daughter for a bride price, trapping her and her younger sister in a generational cycle of suffering.

Location: Cinema Two (Yellow), Univer Cinema

Directed by female filmmakers, each narrative reveals how women's agency emerges in moments of crisis. These stories explore how extreme circumstances push women beyond conventional boundaries, questioning what justice and survival mean when institutional protection is absent.

I Promise (3') dir. Altynai Turgun & Nurkamal Zhetigenova, Kyrgyzstan – A college romance turns into a nightmare when a young woman, forced to sacrifice her future for marriage, confronts her husband’s dark violence and must fight for her safety.
Provided (9'10'') dir. Soheil Rahimi, Iran – In exchange for her husband’s release from prison, Zahra sets her own condition for the benefactors.
The Late Wind (22'34) dir. Shugyla Serzhan, Kazakhstan – A young pregnant woman grapples with an uncertain future as her boyfriend vanishes, leaving her searching for answers amid city turmoil.

Location: Cinema Three (Red), Univer Cinema

These intimate portraits reveal how children develop their own strategies for survival and self-discovery - from quiet acts of resilience to bold assertions of identity within restrictive environments, showing young people develop their own strategies for understanding and shaping their worlds.

Left-Handed (14'59'') dir. Nasrin Mohammadpour, Iran – Maryam is a 38-year-old woman who heads a family of four. She decides to cut off her right hand while working in a poultry slaughterhouse because, in this way, she can get more money from insurance than losing her left hand to pay her debts.
Furugh (21'57'') dir. Odina Mahmad, Tajikistan – The story of a seven-year-old deaf-mute girl torn between rejection and hope, and a father’s desperate search for her care and safety.
One Upon A Time In Korgazhino (17'52'') dir. Aray Karimova, Kazakhstan – Eleven-year-old Aslan flees an autumn children’s camp after hearing of Lake Shaitankol, said to grant wishes in exchange for sacrifice — and his only wish is to bring his mother back.
Ansar (5') dir. Anuarbek Khamitov, Kazakhstan – Ansar, who helps his mother clean the apartment building where she works as a janitor, is torn between duty and his dream of playing soccer with friends.
Etude (16') dir. Mumin Latifi, Tajikistan – Etude tells the story of 10-year-old Zafar, born into a family of hereditary musicians but drawn instead to street football. At its heart lies a generational conflict — fathers and sons divided over tradition — as Zafar struggles for the freedom to choose his own path.

Location: Cinema Three (Red), Univer Cinema

Between Earth and Sky brings together five films examining how geography shapes destiny across Central and South Asia, from sacred landscapes scarred by conflict to urban spaces that become both sanctuary and confinement. Through varied cinematic approaches and directorial perspectives, these shorts explore flood-ravaged regions where resilience flows alongside destruction, traditional territories where nomadic peoples assert belonging, and rural lands where women forge new paths of stewardship. Each narrative reveals how communities develop survival strategies within geographical and social boundaries, illuminating how territory, displacement, and rootedness intersect with questions of belonging and the right to exist within one's chosen or inherited geography.

In Zaynab's Heaven (25') dir. Ali Mehdi, Pakistan, Lebanon & United Arab Emirates – A Hazara filmmaker follows a gravestone maker, a water girl, and a man who buried his own limb, capturing their daily lives within a graveyard.
The Bag (8'31'') dir. Habib Shahzad, Pakistan – Amid displacement, a boy’s hold on holy relics becomes a fragile beacon of hope, where innocence speaks the secret language of the divine.
Roza Eje (19'4'') dir. Faridun Karabozov & Erik Stybaev, Kyrgyzstan – For 30 years, Roza Eje has driven a milk truck through Karakol, enduring grueling physical labor and navigating complex human relationships. Her perseverance not only sustains her livelihood but also shapes the community around her.
The Silence After The Storm (10'47'') dir. Alina Rizwan, Pakistan – In flood-stricken Sindh, a young boy rewrites his rain-soaked dreams as classrooms turn to rivers and lessons flow with resilience — a story of youth redefining life’s horizon.
We Are At Home (13'51'') dir.Shakhzoda Mirakova & Darya Gusmanova, Uzbekistan – The untold stories of the Luli, Central Asian Roma, highlighting their resilience and struggle for a rightful place in society.

Location: Cinema Three (Red), Univer Cinema

This program showcases five films that deliberately expand the boundaries of cinema as an alternative means of addressing the most pressing stories of our time. When conventional narratives fall short, these works forge new cinematic languages to capture urgent realities across Central Asia and beyond—exploring land dispossession, colonial legacies, environmental crisis, gender struggles, and displacement through innovative visual and narrative techniques. By reimagining what cinema can be and do, each film demonstrates how experimental approaches become necessary tools for telling stories that demand to be heard, using form itself as both message and method in confronting realities that traditional storytelling cannot fully encompass.

ILI ILI (15'29'') dir. Guzel Zakir, Kazakhstan - A collective memory of the first Uyghur migration from China to Kazakhstan. (1950–1966), where the Ili River emerges as both a landmark and a symbol of migration’s losses and hopes.
Balqash Song (19'40'') dir. ArtCom Collective, Kazakhstan
Aralkum (13'43'') dirs. Daniel Faezi & Mila Zhluktenko, Uzbekistan & Germany – Aralkum is a cinematic kaleidoscope where the Aral desert flickers back into its former sea — sand becomes water, and an old man once more a fisherman.
Dert (12'7'') dir. Ali Zhetpis, Kazakhstan – In the Kazakh steppe, a family’s quiet morning is disrupted when two strangers leave a slot machine behind. As Merei becomes entranced by the game, tension rises and time itself seems to stand still.