Madina

Based on the real-life experiences of its lead actress, Madina portrays a dancer who lives with her grandmother, younger brother, and two-year-old daughter, supporting her family through two jobs: a dance instructor by day and a nightclub shift by night. In this process of survival, she also deals with harassment from her ex-husband and the advances of an oligarch, a patriarchal structure that will shake when Madina discovers a family secret.

Duration: 77’
Production year: 2023
Country: KZ, PK
Language: KK Subtitles: EN

Tokyo International Film Festival – Asian Future

Aizhan Kassymbek

A director from Kazakhstan (b. 1990) Aizhan Kassymbek has broken gender barriers as a successful filmmaker in her country. Known for working with predominantly female crews and advocating for different representations of women in Kazakh cinema, she speaks openly about the sexism she has faced within her profession. These experiences ultimately become a creative driving force for her films, such as Madina (2023), her most recent feature film, which follows her first, Fire (2021). Kassymbek attended the Asian Film Academy’s film program in Busan, South Korea, and premiered her first short film, Air, in 2018. That same year, she released another short, this time featuring the element Water, which won the Grand Prix at the Hanoi Film Festival. It’s with Madina that the director will be at LEFFEST, attending the screening of the film as part of the Central Asian Cinema cycle.

Original title: Madina

Aizhan Kassymbek

Credits