Cinema
Белые горы
Melis Ubukeev · 1964
Synopsis
The Kyrgyz uprising of 1916 against the mobilisation decreed by the Russian empire, and the repression that followed. The narrative breaks off at times in favour of images alone, mountains and rivers under the grey light of dawn, while two adolescents recite texts in voice-over.
Context
The work bears three titles, one Kyrgyz and two Russian, and was its author's first attempt, released the same year as he graduated from the Moscow film school, for which it was the graduation project. It is drawn from the novel that opens this catalogue for the country, written by a man who had lived through the exodus of 1916 as a child. In 1916, the order to levy men for rear-area labour triggered the revolt, then the repression and the flight to China.
Who it is for
A little over an hour. It helps to know that the revolt of 1916 was, in the country's history, the event least spoken of and the one that cost the most.
Prizes and reception
First fiction feature directed by a Kyrgyz filmmaker; first-class diploma at the 1965 Central Asian festival, where its lead performer received the grand prize.