The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time

A young couple from southern Kazakhstan plan to get married. But according to the local tradition, the groom ought to steal the future bride.

Having devoted his life to science, Kanysh Satpayev dreamed of the well-being of the Motherland and did everything to develop it, as Kanysh himself became an unwitting witness to the tragedies that brought the Kazakh people to the brink of extinction. And although the magnitude and scale of the outstanding scientist, geologist and patriot Kanysh is obvious, not everyone knows his path, in which the grief of the people and personal tragedy are intertwined, an exhausting struggle with skepticism and distrust on the part of the authorities. The film tells about the initial path of the young Kanysh Satpayev during the great tragedy in the life of the Kazakh people — the years of famine, jute and repression.

During the summer holidays, parents send a twelve-year-old boy Kambar to his grandparents. The days of fun adventures are coming – getting to know Samal and other peers – swimming in the river, baked potatoes by the night fire, scary stories under the starry sky… One night, the wolf attacks the cat and takes with him the kid that Samal was caring for. Kambar decides to kill the wolf. And when the adults leave for the wedding, he goes hunting with Samal.

The day before Karim witnesses the murder and accidentally grabs a gun and runs away. The next day he hides it in a toilet cabin of the university he studies in and continues to study and hang out with his friends as nothing happened. Karim also plays at friend’s “A woman is a woman“ performance within the contest “Everybody has his own Godard“ having no idea that police and gun’s owners are after him.

The shaman lives with his family in the midst of the harsh expanses that stretch between the Tien Shan Mountains.

The film is dedicated to the upcoming 150th anniversary of the birth of Kazakh writer and public figure Akhmet Baitursynov next year. Filming began in Almaty in November.