Day of Kyrgyz Cinema (17/11)

On November 17, Kyrgyzstan celebrates the professional holiday of all filmmakers in the country – Day of Kyrgyz Cinema (Kyrgyz kinosunun kunu). It was established by Decree of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic № 695 of September 13, 1994, taking into account the importance of cinema in the cultural life of the peoples of Kyrgyzstan.

The date for the holiday was chosen due to the fact that on November 17, 1941, a resolution was adopted by the Council of People's Commissars of the Kyrgyz SSR on the organization of a newsreel studio in the city of Frunze (in 1961, the film studio was renamed «Kyrgyzfilm», and in 2002 it was named after the outstanding Kyrgyz director Tolomush Okeev). The team of the first newsreel studio was small – with only 9 people, including all – cameramen, directors, sound engineers, and laboratory workers.

Although this date is considered the birthday of the national cinema of the Republic, Kyrgyz cinema dates back to the early 1920s, when cultural and documentary stories were filmed in Kyrgyzstan. The first full-length feature film – picture «Hidden van» – was filmed here in 1927 by director O. Frohlich based on the film factory «Uzbekgoskino». After the creation of the joint-stock company «Vostokkino» in 1928, which included Kyrgyzstan along with other Soviet republics, filmmakers from various film factories in the country increasingly began to come here for filming.

The first Kyrgyz color feature film «Saltanat» was shot at the end of 1955 in collaboration with the film studio «Mosfilm» directed by V. Pronin. The 1960s and 1970s became truly a «gold» time for Kyrgyz cinema; these years of fruitful work by various directors became known as the «Kyrgyz miracle».

Among the films of those years that received recognition and love from viewers, – «The sky of our childhood» (1966), «Fierce» (1973), «Ulan» (1977), «Descendant of the white leopard» (1984) Tolomusha Okeeva, «Shot at the Karash» pass (1968), «Scarlet poppies Issyk-Kulya» (1972), «White steamer» (1975) Bolotbek Shamshiev, «Mother's field» (1967) and «Ambush» (1969) Gennady Bazarov, «White Mountains» (1964) and «Hard crossing» (1964) Melisa Ubykeeva, «Men without Women» (1981) and «I do not allow disaster» Algimantas Vidugiris and others. A number of films were awarded prizes at various film forums, including international ones.

The work of Chingiz Aitmatov played a significant role in the development of Kyrgyz cinema. Thus, Larisa Shepitko (picture «Znoy», 1962) and Andrei Konchalovsky (film «First Teacher», 1965) began their directing careers here with film adaptations of his works; directors: Gennady Bazarov («Mother Field», 1967) and Tolomush Okeev («Red Apple», 1975).

Another outstanding phenomenon of these years in republican cinema was documentary cinema. Thematically very diverse – from film portraits to parables – films were very unique in their figurative structure and shot at the highest professional level. These are paintings – « Manaschi», «Chaban» Bolota Shamshiev, «These are horses» Tolomusha Okeeva, «Kyyal» Shayymbek Apylova, «Castles on the sand» Algimantas Vidugiris, «Garden» Bekesh Abdyldaev and others, which were also awarded awards at various film festivals, and the term «Kyrgyz documentary film school » appeared in film studies.

It must be said that when filming their film works, the directors took local historical material as a basis, used Kyrgyz literary works, filmed domestic actors, among whom the recognized masters of Kyrgyz film classics are: Muratbek Ryskulov, Sovetbek Dzhumadylov, Baken Kydykeeva, Tattybyubyu Tursunbaeva, Suimenkul Chokmorov and others.

Today, the Kyrgyz film industry continues to develop successfully. At «Kyrgyzfilm», which is the largest and most technically equipped film studio in the country, feature films, documentaries, and animated films are created. The Museum of Kyrgyz Cinema operates in Bishkek, and in order to recognize the merits and achievements of national cinema figures, as well as stimulate the growth of the artistic level of the country's cinema, the national film award «Ak Ilbirs» has been established in Kyrgyzstan.

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