11 years ago, among the names of prominent Kazakhstan people, the name of the Multiple Medalist of European film festivals, Emir Baigazin, appeared. The creativity of Baygazin found fame from his first term works and continues to glorify the domestic cinema. Proof of that is the film “The River” that won the Grand Prix at the Film Festival in Portugal in 2018. It is noteworthy that Emir Baygazin acted as a screenwriter, cameraman, producer, and editor.
The Golden Lion Prize of the Horizons program at the 75th Venice Film Festival for Best Direction and a resident grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
“River”, the final film of the trilogy of the Kazakh director and screenwriter about the difficult fate of Kazakhstani teenagers.
It is noteworthy that Baygazin works in the direction of copyright cinema and art -house. To the final chord of the trilogy, Baigazin brought his creative method of aesthetic observation almost to perfection.
Filmmaker’s way
In 1894 a talented film director, producer, and editor Emir Baigazin was born in the village of Tamdy, Aktyubinsk region. However, the disclosure of talent was promoted by a long search for oneself, and then also self-identification in film art. At the age of 20, Baigazin arrived in Almaty for admission to a theater actor in KazNAA named after T. K. Zhurgenova but ultimately chooses specialty filmmaker. The two-minute short film “Step”, half of which are scenes of intercourse, brought Baigazinu a ticket to the Korean Film Academy.
In February 2013, Emir Baigazin with the debut feature film “Harmony Lessons ” became the first Kazakhstani director to participate in the main competition of the Internanational Berlin Film Festival. The film about hazing in a rural school received the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic achievements at the 63rd Berlin Film Festival. In February 2015,Emir Baigazin won the prize of the Foundation of the First President. In 2016, the drama of 4 novels “The Wounded Angel” won the prize for Best Film at the international festival Funf Seen Filmfest in Germany, the Special Jury Prize at the festival in Jeju, the prize “Best Director” at the Art Film Fest in Kosice (Slovakia) and the main prize of the Transformation Film Awards 2017 film award in the nomination “For attention to the problems and dreams of the younger generation”
Problems of cinema perceptions in Kazakhstan
We are accustomed to reproaching the directors of the art-house for “dill”, because, in the opinion of many, they see only the bad in the country, they intentionally exaggerate the colors and show only problems.
First of all, I make films to be in good professional form. I think it would be wrong if an artist thinks about where he would like to put a picture, what prize he would like to receive. Therefore, no, I think more about to myself, about what I really would like to express in this picture. I am thinking about how my work will develop in the context of exactly the project I’m working on”
said Emir Baigazin .
Some viewers note that the film “River” is not tied to domestic locations, although the film was shot in Kazakhstan. It seems that everything has been done to ensure that the story was absolutely universal, capable of happening anywhere, and not only in our realities. This effect worked: viewers of the Tokyo Film Festival were delighted with the film.
The director positively assesses the national cinema:
“I believe that there is a growth in the creation of commercial films. However, I am not an expert in the field of criticism of these films. It seems to me that the state of affairs in Kazakhstani cinema is good.”
Emir Baigazin to 35 years of his cinema art has established itself worldwide. The full value of his work glorifies the name of the Kazakh national film studio of feature films and documentaries “Kazakhfilm” named after Shaken Aimanov.
Saving Art 