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Directed by Akan Sataev (Kazakhstan, 2012) A universal story about the freedom of the human spirit and the struggle against slavery and despotism, about love, loss and betrayal. It is seen through the eyes of simple Kazakh kids and teenagers.

Directed by Boris Kimiagarov (Tajikistan, 1965)Hasan is young and handsome, he is strong and knows what he needs in life and love, in addition to that, inspires him. But then changes come to his life and to the lives of his nation — new power starts to dictate their rules.

"Commemorating a rare female leader from a time and place where women were mostly regarded as chattel, the sweeping patriotic epic “Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains” spans the long life (1811-1907) of a heroine who put the personal good of her people before her private hopes. With its breathtaking landscapes, dazzling cinematography, bloody battles and unique cultural… Continue reading Cinema Club in Partnership with the Kyrgyz Embassy: “Kurmanjan Datka, Queen of the Mountains” (Kyrgyzstan, 2014)

By Elunura Osmonalieva (2014) This movie is about a small mountainous country with big problems and huge potential. Young heroes let viewers into their lives, lifting a curtain into multi-layered and contradictory life in Kyrgyzstan. These seven stories of love, decisiveness, courage, and virtue leave you feeling that you have made new friends and shared… Continue reading Cinema Club Film Screening: Kyrgyzland

A 15th-century Uzbek 'Romeo and Juliet', this film, by Nabi Ganiev, quickly became one of the canons of Soviet cinema.  "Takhir and Zukhra are childhood sweethearts brought up together at the royal court, only to be torn apart as teenagers when Takhir is banished from the kingdom. Shot in shimmering black-and-white by Daniil Demutsky, the… Continue reading Cinema Club Film Screening: Tahir and Zuhra

Three siblings - two teenage brothers and their little sister - are evicted from their apartment. The youngsters' last hope rests on a plot of land outside of the city, to which they have a legitimate claim. But soon officials arrive in a jeep to tell them that, unless they build a foundation within the… Continue reading Cinema Club Screening: “The Builders (Stroiteli)” (2013)

Opening remarks by H.E. Farhod Salim, Ambassador of Tajikistan in the United States.   This epic masterpiece by Tajik director Boris Kimyagarov is a patriotic ode to the Persian poet Ferdowsi. The Legend of Rostam and Sohrab, one of the three films Kimyagarov directed as part of a trilogy, is part of the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh. It tells the… Continue reading Cinema Club in Partnership with the Embassy of Tajikistan: “Rostam and Sohrab” (1971)

Directed by Djamshed Usmonov"Hamro, an unrepentant prodigal son straight out of a Russian jail, returns to his hometown to help his mother die with dignity. But his debts are many and long overdue, the townspeople are tough as nails, and he gets more than he expected from the quiet village. In this dark comedy, his… Continue reading Cinema Club Film Screening: Angel on the Right (Tajikistan, 2002)

Directed by Rustem Abdrashev "Set in 1949, just before Stalin’s 70th-birthday jubilee, the film centers on Sasha (Dalen Shintemirov), a 9-year-old boy who escapes from a train transporting Jewish refugees from Moscow to Kazakhstan. "Hidden among the shrouded corpses callously dumped on the tracks, Sasha is rescued by an aging railway worker (Nurzhuman Ikhtimbaev) and taken… Continue reading Cinema Club Film Screening: “The Gift to Stalin” (Kazakhstan, 2008)

Directed by Byambasuren Davaa "Two Horses presents a stiff look at the crushing after-effects on Mongolian heritage in the years following the Chinese cultural revolution, in which priceless artifacts of music and art were destroyed, including the family heirloom of this story’s protagonist – a nineteenth century horse head violin engraved with the words of an… Continue reading Cinema Club Film Screening: “Two Horses of Genghis Khan” (Mongolia, 2009)