A feature drama about the interwoven lives of women in today’s Kyrgyzstan, based on true events. “Kurak” means patchwork: scraps of fabric that only become whole once sewn together.
Credits and production
- Directors: Erke Dzhumakmatova, Emil Atageldiev
- Screenplay: Erke Dzhumakmatova
- Running time: 89 minutes · Languages: Kyrgyz, Russian
- Co-production: Kyrgyzstan / Switzerland / Serbia / France / Luxembourg / Netherlands / Italy
- World premiere: 30th Busan International Film Festival (2025)
- Awards (selection): Vision of Jiseok Award (Busan 2025); Bangladesh July Memorial Prize
- Kairat Birimkulov’s role: producer; his company Kairat Birimkulov Production is one of the production companies (Swiss Films)
Festivals and awards
Selection, by date. Source: festival history on alpineascent.ch, as of 13 October 2026.
- September 2025 · 30th Busan International Film Festival, South Korea — world premiere, Vision Asia; Vision of Jiseok Award and Bangladesh July Memorial Prize
- January 2026 · Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh — Asian Film Competition; Best Film
- January–February 2026 · 32nd Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas, France — competition, European premiere; Grand Prix of the International Jury, Critics’ Jury Award, High School Jury Award
- April 2026 · Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, USA — North American premiere
- June 2026 · DEA OPEN AIR, Tirana, Albania — Media Award (feature film)
- August 2026 · ANONIMUL, Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania — ANONIMUL Trophy (audience-voted main prize)
In June 2026 the planned national premiere at the Bishkek International Film Festival was cancelled after the film was denied a distribution permit; according to the production team, it was notified the day before without an official explanation.
The project’s path
In 2021 “Kurak” was selected for the official programme of the Asian Project Market (APM) in Busan — one of Asia’s largest film festivals, accredited by FIAPF. Of 429 submissions, 25 projects reached the final selection, ours among them. The same year, “Kurak” was one of 20 projects at the “Meeting Point Vilnius” pitching.
What it is about
Built on several intertwining storylines and based on true events, the film follows three women who are deprived of agency and whose rights and freedoms are violated. Its themes are discrimination, male chauvinism and the hypocrisy that clouds public consciousness: while state propaganda celebrates the great role of women in culture and society, domestic violence is tolerated and pseudo-traditional values that justify arbitrariness towards women are imposed.
The style is dark, realistic and tense — a documentary-driven narrative using real television footage.
Illustrations · Tatjana Zelenskaja
Further reading: KurakFilm.com · Swiss Films · IMDb · The Film Verdict · Luzerner Zeitung, 12 Oct 2024 (PDF, German)