Ulbolsyn
Life in Karataş village runs along an untroubled path, until its patriarchal way of life is challenged by Ulbolsyn, a woman whose coldblooded heart and blazing temperament are not afraid of setting everything on fire.
Ulbolsyn, enjoying the freedom of self-actualisation in the big city, has decided to also save her little sister Azhar who is still living in their home village and who is being married off to the local soothsayer to become his youngest wife. While trying to find a way out of the hopelessly closed circle, Ulbolsyn is not helped by the fact that Azhar herself does not wish to be rescued. Azhar does not mind the old age of her future husband Urgen, nor his other wives or the fact that the man has kidnapped her and hidden away from Ulbolsyn. The rest of the sisters’ family are of an equally sceptical opinion, considering the status of a married woman a much more valuable asset that higher education.
As two worlds collide, hearts break and heads roll in a hellishly glamorous spectacle. Every confident step of the characters opens a world where compositions expressively reflect their mental condition and its changes, as well as the colouring range which tells its own story in the role of a detective.
"Ulbolsyn" is a masterfully precise film, the rhythm and style of which boldly break their way through mediocrity and achieve a dazzling result using minimalist tools.
Elise Eimre
Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award
Adilkhan Yerzhanov (b. 1982) graduated from the Kazakh National Academy of Arts, as a film director in 2009 and afterwards he continued his training in New York. He is a two-time participant of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Program ("The Owners" 2014, and "The Gentle Indifference of the World", 2018, Un Certain Regard Section). Winner of “Asia Pacific Screen Awards-2019” (often referred to as “Asian “Oscars”) for “Achievement in Directing” for “A Dark, Dark Man” film. His previous film "Ulbolsyn" (2020) has won the NETPAC Jury Prize as best Asian Film last year's Black Nights FF Official Selection. Member of the EFA (European Film Academy).
Ukkili kamshat (Omanikud, PÖFF 2014), Laskovoe bezrazlichie mira (Maailma õrn ükskõiksus, PÖFF 2018), Sary mysyq (Kollane kass, PÖFF 2020), Ulbolsyn (Ulbolsõn - üksi kõigi vastu, PÖFF 2020), Onbagandar (Karjaimmuunsus, PÖFF 2021), Ademoka's Education (2021), Steppenwolf (2024), Moor (2024)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
