The Journalist, a new project to be directed by young Kazakh directors Adikhan Yerzhanov and Serik Abishev, is one of a new wave of projects that are looking to connect with European producers.
The producer of the 260 000 USD budget planned production Serik Abishev, won the Baltic Event’s Producer’s Network award with a prize of free accreditation to the Cannes Marche du Film Producer’s Network event during Cannes in 2013. He is just one of the new group of young Kazakh emerging directors and producers who are making their presence felt at international events.
The Journalist which is produced by the state-owned Kazakhfilm studios (www.kazakhfilmstudios.cz) and will start to shoot in spring 2013 is looking for European coproducers. The Journalist is a story about a Kazakh journalist who invents a story about a gang of horse rustlers. The stories about the Robin Hood style bandits become so popular that the journalist is forced to come up with a real group of bandits to satisfy popular demand.
Kazakhfilm who are backing and producing The Journalist are much more than just a film studio. Restructured in 2008, the studio forms a hub which is responsible for the administration of government funding for the film industry, international promotion, film education and technical support for shooting and post production. Under its head, Ermek Amanshaev, the studios have steadily upgraded their technical facilities and moved closer to the European film community.
The big budget historic epic, Warriors of the Steppe directed by Akan Satayev and produced by Kazakhfilm, attracted international attention during its shooting and release last year. Now one of the first European coproductions, Harmony Lessons, a German-Kazakh coproduction directed by Emir Baigazin is in post-production.
Yerzhan Suleimenov who is responsible for international relations and marketing at the studios said that while there were no tax incentives in place, Kazakhfilm is open to European coproducers. “We are trying to create the conditions in Kazakhstan for coproduction,” he said. “We provide all the necessary administrative and location services support and if we like a project we can invest in it as well.”
Kazakhstan currently produces about ten feature films a year as well as documentaries, animation and shorts. Kazakhfilm had 30m USD of government funding to invest in film production last year and expects a similar amount for 2013.
Suleimenov said Kazakhfilm was backing a talented new generation of young directors and producers, like Baltic Event prize winner Serik Abishev, who have cut their teeth on TV commercials and music videos. With talent and serious government funding Kazakhstan is wide open for European coproductions.
