Russian, with subtitles in English
Kazakhstan, 2008 (80 minutes)

Synopsis
Two couples, one Russian and one Kazakh, live side by side in relative harmony in a beautiful yet semi–desolate region of the Great Steppe. But when the fair–skinned Russians give birth to a boy of decidedly darker skin, fifteen years of suspicion and acrimony arises between them, and can only be resolved by an ironic twist of family and fate. At times darkly somber, at other times tender and wistful–and buoyed throughout by a soundtrack of folk–inspired melodies–writer-director Marat Sarulu draws on Kazakhstan's epic history to create a gritty and deeply compassionate tale of humor and cultural insight.

About the Director
Marat Sarulu was born in Talas, Soviet Union (now Kyrgyzstan) in 1957. He graduated with a degree in Philology from Kyrgyz National University in Bishkek in 1980 and subsequently studied at the Moscow Cinema Academy. He is co–writer of the internationally successful feature film, Beshkempir and currently works as a writer and director. Song from the Southern Seas is his third feature film.

Principal Cast

Ivan
Asan
Maria
Aisha

Vladimir Yavorsky
Dzhaidarbek Kunguzhinov
Irina Agejkina
Ajzhan Ajtenova

Crew

Director
Writer
Producers

Cinematographer
Editor
Sound
Music

Marat Surulu
Marat Surulu
Sain Gabdullin, Karsten Stöter, Benny Dreschsel, Yuri Obukhov, Guillaume De Seille
Giorgi Beridze
Karl Riedl
Jörg Theil
Andrey Sigle