Short run of film about independence leader sparks speculation 

The director of a new feature film about a 20th century Kazakh independence movement leader has dismissed rumours that official censorship was the reason behind the briefness of the film’s showing in the country’s cinemas. 

 The film about the writer and poet Myrzhaqyp Dulat, “Myrzhaqyp. Oyan Qazaq!” (“Myrzhakyp. Kazakhs, Wake Up!”) was shown in cinemas from 21 September till 4 October. All shows were sold out.  

The disappearance of the film from cinema screens sparked a public backlash. 

«I want to know who is behind it? It is a must-see film for our young people so they can learn about their history. Why has it been taken out of distribution? It is sabotage, it is disrespect for our history, it is an insult to all of us,” journalist Sabi Baibussinov said on his Facebook page. 

“Why are we restricting runs of our domestic films, while showing all other films for as long as two months?” another journalist Syrym Itkulov asked in a Facebook post. 

“It is exactly the kind of film that could boost development of our own home film industry. You cannot imagine how full the cinemas were for this film. It was extremely difficult to get any tickets,” he said.   

The film’s director, Murat Yeszhan, has urged the public not to look for any “foul play” behind the ending of the film’s distribution.  

He said on Friday, through his Facebook account, that the distribution contract was for two weeks. However, its run was later extended by a few more days because of the high demand.   

Yeszhan also noted that the creation of the film, which was initially shot as a six-part TV series, was supported by the state-run Qazaqstan television channel. 

“Therefore, there is no need to look for any foul play behind the end of the film’s distribution. I ask you not to make any allegations against anyone,” Yeszhan said.  

He added that the film would soon be shown on Qazaqstan TV channel and would be available on various online platforms. 

Dulat was one of the founders of Alash Orda, a self-proclaimed autonomous Kazakh republic that existed between 1917 and 1920. He was arrested by the Bolshevik government in 1928 and died in the Solovki labour camp in 1935.  

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