A forceful indictment of Kyrgyzstan's entrenched misogyny
Set in present-day Kyrgyzstan, a series of interwoven narratives expose the patriarchal structures that sustain violence against women. A young woman who secretly works as a camgirl is drawn into blackmail by a corrupt police officer. Her cousin, a diligent student, is assaulted by the son of a powerful politician and forced to navigate a system that offers her no protection. And a prominent television journalist, who publicly advocates for gender equality, finds her own position compromised by intimate ties to the political elite.
From its opening scene, Kurak launches an unflinching critique of systemic oppression. Bleak footage from an actual women’s rights protest gives way to everyday stories about violence and political corruption. A necessary call for justice that will linger long after the credits.
“Brimming with clarity in structure and purpose, Dzhumakmatova’s screenplay is consolidated in Anthony Akera’s crisp editing.”
Clarence Tsui thefilmverdict.com 21/09/2025
Kim Ji Seok Award, Busan International Film Festival, 2025, kr
Mecenat Award, Busan International Film Festival, 2025, kr
Erke Dzhumakmatova
Erke Dzhumakmatova is a producer, screenwriter, and director with over 25 years of experience in the film industries of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. She is the founder of Studio Oymo, a UNESCO expert consultant, and a member of the National Council on Cinematography of Kyrgyzstan, as well as an alumna of Berlinale Talents, B’EST, EAVE, and Produire au Sud. Kurak (2025) is her second feature-length film.
Emil Atagelviev was a director and professional musician based in Kyrgyzstan. He studied at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow and the Alfred Cortot École Normale de Musique in Paris, and later served as a professor at the Kyrgyz National Conservatory. He subsequently turned to filmmaking, graduating from Moscow’s Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors and receiving the title of Honored Worker of Cinematography of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2021. Kurak (2025), his third feature-length film, was in post-production at the time of his passing in 2024.[
