For the first time, the Eurasia Film Festival held in Almaty in 1998 with the support of the Confederation of Cinematographers' Unions as a forum for films from the CIS and Baltic countries.
The authors of the idea were director, screenwriter and producer Slambek Tauekel and cinematographer, director and screenwriter Igor Vovnyanko. In addition, the founder of the festival was a well-known public figure, cinematographer, director and film producer Oraz Rymzhanov, who headed the Union of Cinematographers of Kazakhstan at that time. But the first festival was rather a trial balloon. It will take another 7 years until the Eurasia International Film Festival starts more thoroughly.
And now the 2nd Eurasia Film Festival, held in 2005, it has become truly international. As the media of that time wrote, “Starship troopers arrived in Almaty”. The jury was headed by the outstanding Greek film director Theo Angelopoulos, together with him the films were evaluated by Russian directors Vadim Abdrashitov and Egor Konchalovsky, actress Nataliya Arinbasarova, American film producers Michael Moore and Mark Manuel. Among the famous guests of the festival, the beautiful Ornella Muti and the courageous Jean-Claude Van Damme shone. Mayra Muhammed-kyzy performed the Diva's aria from the Fifth Element, and Olzhas Suleimenov, as the honorary president of the festival, made a heartfelt appeal to the participants and guests of the film forum.
And the winners turned out to be more than worthy. The Grand Prix of the festival was won by the film “The Adjuster” by Kira Muratova (Ukraine – Russia). Alexander Sokurov's film “The Sun” (Russia) was recognized as the best director's work. Georgian director Levan Zakareishvili received a special jury prize for the film “Tbilisi-Tbilisi”. The prize for the best performance of a male role was awarded to Japanese actor Issey Ogata for his work in the film “The Sun”, and for the best female role – Nina Ruslanova and Alla Demidova (the film “The Adjuster”).
