Walnut Tree

Gabit and Aisulu, two youngsters from a village in southern Kazakhstan, fall in love and plan to marry according to local tradition, which requires the groom to “steal” the bride. Filmed in Lenger with local theater actors and some villagers, the film is a satire that depicts the daily life of the community, using multiple storylines to reveal the complex family ties, local customs, and rituals in the small village.

Duration: 81’
Production year: 2015
Country: KZ
Language: KZ Subtitles: EN

Busan Film Festival 2015 – New Currents Award

Yerlan Nurmukhambetov

Yerlan Nurmukhambetov (b. 1974) is a Kazakh filmmaker, graduated in Film Dramaturgy from the Kazakh National Academy of Arts in Almaty, where he also taught. He co-directed the feature film Anshi Bala (2011) with Yelubayev Begars and, in his own right, directed Walnut Tree (2015), which won the New Currents Award at the Busan Film Festival and will premiere in Portugal at this edition of LEFFEST, with his presence.

Later, in 2019, he wrote and co-directed, with Lisa Takeba, The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time, the opening film of the same Busan Film Festival, which is a rare co-production between Kazakhstan and Japan, financed by the national film studio Kazakhfilm and Tokyo New Cinema.

Original title: Zhangak tal

Yerlan Nurmukhambetov

Credits