Official Feature Film Competition
SASYQ
As the district administration prepares for the arrival of senior officials, the local drunk Sadyk Ospanovich finds himself facing problems of intergalactic proportions. Two momentous events collide, setting off an inevitable conflict. Caught in the middle are Nadya, a weary trader, and Baur, a naïve police officer.
Festival note by Alejandro Yamgotchian
More comedy than drama, more a celluloid experience than a sci-fi adventure — this Kazakhstani film also invites reflection on contemporary social issues: loneliness, alienation, prejudice and fear of the unknown, not only between humans but with supposedly different beings from other worlds. A blend of E.T. and Enemy Mine, transplanted to a small rural town and updated for our times through small-scale yet deeply resonant stories, where tolerance and empathy loom large. For a genre film, that is quite a lot to carry — and it carries it well.
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Technical Sheet
- Direction
- Yerden Telemissov
- Screenplay
- Sergey Litovchenko, YT
- Country
- Kazajistán
- Year
- 2025
- Duration
- 96 min
- Rating
- AM 12
- Cast
- Bakhytzhan Alpeis, Chingis Kapin, Irka Abdulmanova, Ailin Sultangazina, Zangar Akhmet-Qazy