World premiere
Backstage Madness
It’s never too late for an absurd and amusing Kyrgyz slapstick comedy about the incredible hardships of filmmaking.
A 70-year-young nameless Director still invents various vivid and bizarre characters on an old-fashioned typewriter. This respected veteran knows a thing or two about tenderness and aesthetics. He has heard the word ‘stop’ far too many times while preparing an arthouse festival gem. The fledgling producer orders his uncle to write something entirely different, involving all keen investors in sold-out, influential roles.
The film's fragmented structure sparks humorous anecdotes from behind the scenes. The much younger debutant, Amanbek Azhymat, playfully experiments, surprises and blends genres. He stages a choreographed musical and reverses the usual image of patriarchal Kyrgyzstan. Mighty women are given the chance to beat their violent partners with heavy objects. Ruthless gangsters are punished by the mafia of organ resellers. A corrupt, disgraced society is the target of a Hollywood-style parody, and everyone wants to open a mysterious briefcase.
Such immensely funny, action-driven fantasy is rarely seen in Central Asian films. A snappily edited, dynamic kaleidoscope of shootouts, fights, dances and kinkiness brings to mind the work of Adilkhan Yerzhanov.
Edvinas Pukšta

Amanbek Azhymat (1990) was born in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. In 2009, he graduated from the Bishkek College of Computer Systems and Technologies. In 2013, he took the course of Temir Birnazrov (director of documentaries and feature films). In 2015, he enrolled at the Amsterdam University of the Arts in Netherlands. His short film ""Warrior” (2022) is a contemplative and provocative feature about the absurd nature of war.
Filmography:
Warrior (2022, short), Backstage Madness (2025)
Award for the best film, grant of 5000€ by