The first Festival of Kazakhstan Cinema in France supported by Eurasian Resources Group

03.10.2019

Eurasian Resources Group ("ERG" or "the Group"), a leading diversified natural resources group headquartered in Luxembourg, is pleased to have supported the inaugural Festival of Kazakh Cinema (“the Festival”) in France, held in Paris on 26 - 29 September.

Among the eleven films, the work of Kazakh filmmakers or products of international collaboration, that were shown were Kunanbay, Paris Song and The Diamond Sword. All films were screened with French subtitles.

Attending the festival, which was well-received across its French and international audience, were prominent actors, directors and producers from Kazakhstan and abroad, including: Samal Yeslyamova, Rustem Abdrashev, Maryam D'Abo, Madina Esmanova, Hervé Schneid, Sergey Dvortsevoy, Viktoriya Yakubova, Sanjar Madi, Aruzhan Jazilbekova. The Festival was held under the patronage of Samal Yeslyamova, a critically acclaimed Kazakh actress and Maryam D'Abo, a well-known English film and television actress. The latter described the event as “world-class” and highlighted the marvellous opportunities it provided for Kazakh cinema and culture.

Commenting on the Festival, Benedikt Sobotka, Chief Executive Officer of ERG and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, said: "As a business with roots in Kazakhstan, where we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of some of the Group’s assets, we are pleased to support this cultural initiative in France, the birthplace of cinema. The event has not only received an enthusiastic response from international audiences, but it has also helped strengthen relationships between Kazakh and European filmmakers and created further opportunities for joint cultural projects. We believe this festival has inspired the Kazakhstan people worldwide as well as the French-speaking audience, including our stakeholders in Luxembourg, where the Group is headquartered."

Andrey Ivanov, organiser of the festival and President of the Association of Kazakh Cinema in France (L'Association française du cinéma kazakhstanais), said: "I have been living and breathing French culture for many years, and my belief that Kazakhstan's spiritual wealth will certainly evoke a response in the souls of the French people has been growing stronger year by year. The time has come to introduce France to this new cinematic world that it is not yet familiar with. Thanks to major sponsors such as Eurasian Resources Group, we are able to present amazing Kazakh films to European viewers and share the enormously rich cultural heritage of our country with the world.”

With the assistance of the Association of Kazakh Cinema in France, the film titled ‘The Diamond Sword’ will be screened in Luxembourg for the first time on November 16.

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