Artyk Suyundukov

"The Lake" tells the story of a girl named Jyldys who lives with her family in a village by the Issyk-Kul. Her life is hard. Her classmates tease her because she rarely speaks and often stays in her own world. The only solace she finds is in the company of a wise old man, Temirkul, who was once her father's teacher. Since Temirkul's own daughter drowned in the lake, he clings to the old legend about fish that embody the souls of those who have passed away. The lake is truly sacred to him. When his wife dies, he comes up with the idea of ​​placing her body in the lake instead of burying her in the ground. Jyldys's father, on the other hand, is devoted to the old traditions and says his former teacher's ideas are madness. He believes the only way to help him is to pledge his own land to arrange a proper funeral for his late wife.

Based on the story of Chingiz Aitmatov "The White Steamer". In a forest cordon, lost high in the mountains, an old man and an old woman and his daughter live with their family - a husband and a seven-year-old son named Shambala, which means "boy-candle" or "boy who radiates light." Shambhala faithfully believes in the ancient myth of the Mother Deer, who saved the last baby of their kind, Bugu, from enemies and fed him with her milk. And although over time people exterminated the deer, the boy believes that someday the deer will still return to their land.

About the Kirghiz aristocracy's attempt to battle the influx of Russian merchants in pre-Revolution days.

The forty-year-old commentator, summing up his life and realizing that his well-being is purely external and essentially nothing significant has been done, leaves for his native village, where, he hopes, he will be able to take a step towards his true vocation.

Two best friends fall for the same girl and compete for the role of Romeo in a school play, sparking a conflict that makes them grow up and rethink their friendship.

A young woman, disillusioned with her beloved, leaves for a mountain village. Her connection with nature and with wise, sincere people brings her a sense of wholeness in life, something she thought was lost forever.

A lonely watchman lives in a rocky cemetery near a small town. Obviously, his life among people did not work out, but here he found his peace.

A tiny Kyrgyz aul in the mountains is slated for demolition, and its people must move to a collective farm. Young shepherd Kanat sets out for the city to study, but after being deceived, he chooses to stay, realizing he must first learn the art of living among people. The village elders, guided by timeless moral values, shape the destinies of the characters, rooted in a deep sense of belonging and communal spirit.

Anticipation of Love has settled in the heart of a young lady. The boundaries between dream and passion are very elusive. Life is full of physical deprivations and, of course, sensual pleasures, and the deep meaning of that all is Love. The deeper the feeling, the more intense the emotions. Each girl dreams about meeting her love one day. An experienced man helps her discover the world of passion and senses, and brings her to ‘heaven’s gate’ where the two of them will prevail. One can only imagine how many hearts were broken along the way to master the science of love. But passion blinds and soon the man becomes slave to the young woman’s sensual body. The carnal knowledge makes the girl try to subdue her love object. This is what the last film by Kim Ki-duk, shot in summer 2019 in Kyrgyzstan, is all about. The film was finished by Kim’s friends and colleagues after he unexpectedly passed away in December 2020.

To build a house and feed his family, Deles went to the mountain camps as a shepherd. With all sorts of promises and temptations, local businessmen gradually connected Deles to their machinations — and the young shepherd very soon built a huge house, bought a car, found prosperity and lost his family.

Due to the danger of a landslide, the yak herders must move to another, safer place. For them, this long and arduous journey has become a habit, but the traditional nomadic way of life is being crushed by modern civilization and could soon be absorbed by it. Nomads move into the mountains and dissolve into the whiteness of the snow…