
TheEurasiafestivaliscrucialinbridgingthisgulfofunderstanding.Forexample,thisyear'sessentialprogrammewastheRetrospectiveofAbdullaKarsakbayev(1926-83).WithouttheEurasiafestival,wewouldn'thaveeasyaccesstothefilmsofKarsakbayev,oneoffourfoundingfathersofKazakhcinema.<br/> KarsakbayevworkedinthedifficultperiodoftheSoviettimeswhichimposedstrictcensorship.Yethisfilmswerealwaysrebellious,evenhisdebutwork,MyNameisKozha(1963).Toldasachildren'sfilm,Kozhaisaplayfulschoolboywhoperpetuallycausesproblemsforhisteachers.Yethisintegritykeepshimhonestandinnocent.Stylistically,Karzakbayevusesanimationandafluideditingstylethatkeepsthisfilmremarkablyfresh.It'snowonderthattheWestonlydiscoveredthisfilmfouryearslaterinCannes1967andstillawardeditanHonourableMention.