Kazakh film, The Divorce, to have its global premiere at SIFF
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Daniyar Salamat
Kazakhstan's Daniyar Salamat will premiere his film "The Divorce" at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.
The film, which is set in the mid-1920s during the early Soviet days and the collectivization in the Kazakh steppe, has been entered into the festival's main competition.
One of the prominent slogans of those years was "Emancipation of the Woman of the East."
There is a performance on stage about women's independence and equality, as well as a call for a ban on polygamy. Komsomol members convince Sarymsak to play the mullah's wife.
After the performance, Sarymsak argues with his wife, Zlikha, who reproaches him for playing the role of a woman and dishonoring his family.
In a fit of anger, he utters the word "Talaq," which is a word for divorce in a Muslim community.
Salamat said the film, which carries a significant historical weight, took a decade to make.
"My intention was not to make a typical Kazakh film. The aim was to go beyond the traditional narratives, capturing a period of over a hundred years ago when Kazakhstan was in a state of weakness due to external political influences," said Salamat.
"This upheaval affected the strongest members of society, justifying the existence and struggles of non-traditional male roles within this historical context."
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