Kazakh blockbuster ‘Zhau Zhurek Myn Bala’ may join Golden Globe race

Kazakhstan motion picture ‘Zhau Zhurek Myn Bala’ may be nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in the U.S. film industry - Golden Globes.

“This breathtaking film depicts the culture and everyday life of Kazakh people,” Aida Takla, rep of Hollywood Foreign Press Association, told Tuesday press conference in Almaty.
Akhan Satayev’s movie ‘Zhau Zhurek Myn Bala’ released in early May 2012 topped Kazakhstani box office and grossed a whooping sum of $2 million. The film was screened at the Cannes International Film festival and received rave reviews.

KAZINFORM

“Zhauzhurek Myn Bala” (one thousand brave boys) is a pure Kazakh movie. Akan Satayev, the movie director, famous for The Racketeer, has reached the very hearts of the Kazakh people. The movie made thousands of hearts shudder for a few minutes and filled them with boyish courage. It depicts uncompromising boyish brevity - the features that Kazakhs lack to become a nation. They are terribly self-critical, sarcastically laughing at their own happy-go-lucky behavior, obedience and venality. Jealous of all the developed nations they are striving to learn from them, but again and again fail to do so. As a result, they are ready to smack anyone in the face, especially some comic British showmen, as well as Italian, Turkish and Chinese managers. In the end, they end up being smacked in the face by their own corrupt administration for no obvious reason. In the 18^th century, the youth was going through similarly odd circumstances. Sneaky elders had murky deals with Dzungar noyons (invaders). Wise biys (sages) and arrogant khans sought for a way to unite territorial armies ofjuzes (three traditional unions of the pastoral tribes). At the same time enemy forces massacred whole auls (nomadic villages). Groups of orphaned kids used to trot the steppes and mountains with strive for revenge coming from the bottom of their young hearts. Very soon they learned how to slit enemy throats with knives, shoot bows on horseback and swinging axes. They also learned to tell mature dzhigits (brave fellows) to get lost when the latter came to recruit them as armed horsemen. These guys preferred to lead their own guerilla war. Long story short, in the end a couple of hundred brave young men jump right in the middle of the battle having no knowledge and no will to learn about Abulkhair Khan’s plan to launch a decisive battle against Dzungars (the famous Anyrakai Battle). They fell dead under the enemy’s flag in Khong Tayiji (Supreme title of Dzungars) headquarters. The flag fell, the enemy flees. The Khan and batyrs (noble warriors) were shocked – who made this miracle happen? All the young men died. The audience in the cinemas, old and young, men and women fought hand in hand with the brave boys to the very end, forgetting about everything else in the world. Hidden in the depths of Kazakh souls the dream to die for the nation was awaken during the battle episodes. This is the pure Kazakh movie.The movie will grant you several unique and unforgettable Sataev-style episodes: Death of Korlan, a brave girl well-versed in knives and a long close-up display of a Dzungar noyon grieving upon his son’s death from Sartai’s (main hero) hands, etc. It is worth watching!                                  By Sabyr Kairkhanov