Myn Bala - Warriors of the Steppe (Myn Bala)
Contemporary World Cinema
Akan Satayev / Feature Narrative / Kazakhstan / 2012 / 108 min / Colour / HDCAM
In Kazakh / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Action, Drama, History, Period Piece, War, Adventure, Based on a True Story
World Premiere
Synopsis
‘Myn Bala – Warriors of the Steppe’, Akan Satayev's historical epic of 18th-century warfare in the steppes of Central Asia, boosted the national pride of the Kazakh people and was Kazakhstans’ biggest box-office hit of the last decade. The film centres on Sartay, the legendary orphaned teenage son of an unjustly slain military commander, and a war with the powerful tribe of marauding Dzhungars who are attempting to restore the empire of Genghis Khan. To protect his friends, his people and his beloved Zere, Sartay gathers together thousands of fierce young warriors and leads them to battle. Gorgeous production values, a talented cast of upcoming Kazakh actors, stunts by the Nomad Stunts Group (whose incredible work has been seen in numerous international productions over the last several years) and the film’s universal values all no doubt contributed to its huge success.
About the Directors
Born in Karaganda in the former USSR in 1971, Kazakhstan’s leading action-film director Akan Satayev studied directing at the Institute of Theatre and Cinema in Almaty and has made numerous commercials for his company, Sataifilm. Features include ‘Racketeer’ (2007), ‘Strayed’ (2009) and ‘The Liquidator’ (2011), all of which performed strongly at the Kazakh box office.
Credits
- Director
- Akan Satayev
- Screenwriter
- Timur Zhaksylykov
- Producer
- Aliya Uvalzhanova, Anna Katchko
- Editor
- Christopher Robin Bell, Nicolas Trembasiewicz
- Cinematographer
- Khasan Kydyraliyev
- Cast
- Ayan Utepbergenov, Assylkhan Tolepov, Kuralay Anarbekova, Aliya Telebarisova