As a passionate cinephile, I’m thrilled to announce that I, as a sales agent, have secured the rights for Zhanana Kurmasheva’s debut feature documentary, “We Live Here.” This exciting journey begins before its world premiere at CPH:DOX, where it will be vying for the prestigious DOX:AWARD.
Here Lives We” traces the lives of three generations residing in the barren Kazakh steppe, a region formerly used for Soviet nuclear tests, as they grapple with the chilling aftermath left behind.
From 1949 to 1991, a total of 456 nuclear tests resulted in radioactive pollution and hardship that lingers even today. As ecologists mark off uninhabitable zones, a local family grapples with the reverberations of history. They believe their daughter’s illness is linked to radiation exposure, and they are determined to find evidence to support this claim. However, she finds herself caught between her love for her homeland and the persistent fear it instills in her due to its radioactive past.
Kurmasheva elaborates: “This tale holds a deeply personal connection for me. My mother, born in the vicinity of Kainar village, where nuclear tests left traces, used to advise me cautiously: ‘Never reveal where I come from, especially not to any prospective partners. People think we’re ill.’ This prejudice accompanies the residents of Semipalatinsk wherever they travel. To this very day, they express feelings of embarrassment and dread linked to their roots. The world often perceives them as tainted, scarred by the radiation that lingers in their ancestral land.
I’d like to share my thoughts on this movie: It showcases resilience – not just of the characters, but also of the landscape they inhabit. Their lives become entwined with the vast steppe in a profoundly human way. After experiencing devastation, they persevere, holding onto hope and maintaining their dignity amidst their wounds.
Kurmasheva took part in various international workshops and educational programs, including the East-West Talent Lab during the goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in 2022. She was the recipient of the Kulaguer Award in 2011 for her student documentary “I Am 20 Years Old!”. Her short film “Zhenya” (2013) was screened at film festivals in cities such as Moscow, New York, Yerevan, Sevastopol, and Almaty.
Banu Ramazanova is the creator of ‘We Live Here’, a film that garnered support from various institutions such as Kazakh Cinema: State Center for Support of National Cinema, EFM Doc Toolbox program, Eurasia Doc (Doc Monde) Script Development Residency, Alternativa Development Lab, GZDOC (Top 10 Documentary Projects), and Tokyo Docs. This last institution awarded it with the Best Pitch.
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2025-03-05 17:23