Cinema in Central Asia

Cinema in Central Asia is the first comprehensive and up-to-date account of the cinema of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan from its origins to the present day. Bringing together specialists from Central Asia, Russia, Europe and the United States, this companion to the cinema of the region combines serious scholarly study with practical accessibility to construct an historical narrative, discuss aspects of film production and consider the impact of film. The book also offers a deeper understanding of Central Asian culture that is invaluable with the geopolitical and economic emergence of this exciting region. The book opens with a broad history, paying particular attention to the emergence and expansion of the film industry, competing visions of nationalism and distinct phases of the post-Soviet film experience. A series of incisive articles written by specialists on Central Asian film follows. They explain early film institutions and themes, the impact of the Second World War, expressions of identity and protest during the Soviet era, as well as regional variations of post-Soviet filmmaking and political involvement. The final section comprises biographical and filmographical entries on the principal figures of Central Asian cinema that offer a much-needed reference for scholars and filmgoers.

MICHAEL ROULAND is an historian of Russia, Central Asia and Afghanistan. He has published widely on Central Asian cinema, culture and national identity. Since 2003, he has taught courses on Russian, Central Eurasian and global history at Georgetown, Miami, and Stanford Universities. He is currently an historian for the US Air Force. GULNARA ABIKEYEVA is a Kazakh film critic and researcher, and the author of several books on the cinema of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. She is a member of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) and NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema), and has been a jury member on a range of international film festivals. BIRGIT BEUMERS is Professor in Film Studies at Aberystwyth University, Wales. She has published widely on Russian and Soviet cinema and theatre, and is on the Advisory Board of the KINO series at I.B.Tauris. She is editor of KinoKultura and of the journal Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema.

List of Illustrations Contributors Acknowledgements Note on Transliteration List of Illustrations Glossary Contributor's Details Historical Introduction Michael Rouland Part I: At the Cinematic Cradle 1 Vostokkino and the Foundation of Central Asian Cinema Gabrielle Chomentowski 2. Birth, Death and Rebirth of a Nation: National Narrative in Uzbek Feature Films Cloé Drieu 3. The Various Births of Kazakh Cinema Bauyrzhan Nogerbek Part II. Cinema in the Soviet Republics of Central Asia 4. Landscape and Loss: World War II in Central Asian Cinema Stephen M. Norris 5. Fragments from the History of Turkmen Cinema Swetlana Slapke 6. Bulat Mansurov's The Contest in Context Michael Rouland 7. Tajik Cinema at the End of the Soviet Era Sadullo Rakhimov 8. A Small History of Kyrgyz Cinema Joel Chapron 9. Re-Visions of The Sky of Our Childhood Elena Stishova 10. 'A Wild Kazakh Boy': the Cinema of Rashid Nugmanov Vitaly Chernetsky Part III. The Era of Independence 11. Cinematic Nation-Building in Kazakhstan Gulnara Abikeyeva 12. Aesthetic Influences in Young Kazakh Cinema Eugenie Zvonkine 13. Growing Up: Children in Central Asian Cinema Birgit Beumers 14. Kyrgyz Cinema: An Attempt at Eternal Breakthrough Gulbara Tolomushova 15. A View from Moscow: Myths and Realities of the Uzbek Film Boom Daria Borisova 16. Contemporary Tajik Cinema in Context: On Djamshed Usmonov Seth Graham Part IV Reference Section Film-makers' Biographies Gulnara Abikeyeva Appendix: Filmography Index