Kurak, the gritty drama by Erke Dzhumakmatova and Emil Atageldiev, is scheduled to be the first official France-Kyrgyzstan co-production after a Cannes agreement was reached between CNC and Kyrgyzstan’s Cinema Department.
Director Dzhumakmatova also serves as the principal producer of Kurak through Oymo Studio, an international partnership co-produced with France’s Johann Chapelan of Girelle Production, Switzerland’s KBP’s Kairat Birimkulov, and Serbia’s Spirito Libero’s Katerina Tarbo-Ignatenko.
Based on actual occurrences, the movie discusses women’s lack of empowerment in the context of contemporary Kyrgyzstan’s patriarchal culture. Using the actual sites of the events, it is set in the capital city of Bishkek.
The narrative centres on a young girl who works covertly as a webcam model and is compelled to have an intimate relationship with a law enforcement officer. It also follows a mother who loses her young daughter to suicide and fights for a thorough enquiry into the son of a prominent politician.
The Lake, which debuted in the Asian New Talent section of the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2020, was originally directed by Dzhumakmatova.
