This year, the out-of-competition program “Special Event”, traditional for the Eurasia Film Festival, is based on the works of the jury members. Here is what program director of the film festival, Doctor of Art History, President of the Association of Film Critics of Kazakhstan Gulnara Abikeeva told about these films.  

“THE TASTE OF MELON IN SAMARKAND”. A new movie of the master of Uzbek cinema Ali Khamraev, who headed the Jury of the International Competition. The director is famous for his ability to convey the national spirit of his people by means of cinema, according to the author, namely in Samarkand the original Uzbek traditions and way of life have been most fully preserved.  

«THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN». The film of the Jury member of the National Competition Hana Makhmalbaf, daughter and pupil of the famous Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The three short tell touching stories about the fate of a girl, a girl and an elderly woman in Iranian society. The movie is metaphorical, very beautiful, at the same time social and poetic, a vivid example of the works of the “Makhmalbaf house”.

«TULIP». This film directed by a member of the Jury of the International Competition Sergey Dvortsevoy. The picture has largely become the hallmark of our cinema, so poetically and subtly it shows the beauty of the Kazakh land. This year, the film, which celebrated its triumph at the largest film forums in the world, including Cannes, turns 15 years old. In addition, the premiere took place at the Eurasia Festival. This was the reason to include the picture in the “Special Event” program.  

«АGА». Film directed by Bulgarian director, the member of the National Competition Jury Milko Lazarov. The story about a broken family, which takes place on the edge of the world, won many awards at film screenings around the world, was the closing film of the Berlinale 2018, and at the Eurasia Film Festival received the prize for best director.

«SURGEON». A new film by the president of the current Eurasia Festival, the famous Kazakh film director Ardak Amirkulov. A very deep and rare philosophical, existential cinema for our time, in which questions of the meaning of life, the mysteries of being are raised. The acting of Askar Ilyasov and Aisulu Azimbayeva is also impressive. The film has not yet been presented at any film screenings, so its world premiere will actually take place at the festival.