As part of the competition, two dozen short cartoons were shown in a few days. In general, for more than half a century we have had the opportunity to watch not only foreign, but also much closer domestic projects. This year, animation in Kazakhstan turned 55 years old.
How it all began
For the first time, viewers clung to TV screens to watch our cartoon back in 1965. Then not only children, but also adults were very interested to see what happened to the director Amen Khaydarov, who was inspired by the Kazakh fairy tale “Why does the swallow have a tail with horns”. It was from this cartoon that the history of Kazakh animation began. Amen Khaidarov brought up several generations of animators and made Kazakh animation recognizable.
Today, this cultural industry has reached a new level. In many ways, this was facilitated by the creation of the creative association “Kazakhanimatsiya” on the basis of the film studio “Kazakhfilm”. Not even a year has passed, and the animators have already managed to share the first results of their work. It happened at the animation festival, which was visited by the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dauren Abaev.
– This year, animation in our country turns 55 years old. This is a big anniversary. At the same time, I am glad that domestic animation is now being revived. Young professionals have an interest in it, and we support it. In particular, it is for this purpose that the Kazakhanimation association was created, which is engaged only in the production of cartoons, and the first results of its work are already visible. It is very important that our children watch high-quality and interesting cartoons, getting acquainted with customs and traditions through them, becoming educated, well-mannered citizens, the minister emphasized.
Then Dauren Abaev awarded the winners and prize-winners of the festival, who were determined in eight nominations. In total, the festival received 167 applications from animators from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Spain, Kazakhstan, China, Turkey, Uzbekistan and France. Of these, an international jury selected 55 of the best. Also, during the summing up, the minister presented awards and letters of thanks to veterans of animation in Kazakhstan. Thus, the medal “Enbek ardageri” was received by animators Gulmira Sadykova and Galina Dusenko, as well as animator Ernst Beiseitov.
Your heroes
Festival participants noted that young viewers really watch our cartoons with interest, because everything in them is close and clear to them. Especially for those who grow up on Kazakh fairy tales that are read or told by parents, grandparents. It is these stories, permeated with the centuries-old wisdom of their ancestors, that often inspire our cartoonists.
So, now the association “Kazakhanimatsia” has several projects at the same time. For example, the cartoon “Altyn Adam”, which has been under development for three years. It is created by director Turdybek Maidan. Those who follow the development of animation in our country will surely remember that it was he who invented and brought to life the Muzbalak cartoon about a brave golden eagle who saved a defenseless chick. Now the director, as you might guess, was inspired by the story of the Golden Man.
His new cartoon tells the story of a Saka boy who went to Khan Tengri Peak to get the fire of life. On the way, the young dzhigit faces many dangers, which he successfully overcomes. For this he was nicknamed Altyn Adam.
– The idea to create such a cartoon came to me when I was working on Muzbalak. I thought that our children need national heroes, in many ways the same as themselves – characters close in spirit, culture and upbringing, who want to imitate, – says Turdybek Maidan. – It is important to tell children about our Kazakh heroes in order to introduce them to culture and history.
The cartoon is planned to be released in two languages - Kazakh and Russian. True, there is no exact date when the cartoon will reach the screen. The premiere has already been postponed several times.
But it is known that next summer, during the holidays, the animators will give the children a gift in the form of the cartoon “Amen Aga Tree”. This short ten-minute story is woven from the brightest episodes of the life of the founder of Kazakh animation Amen Khaydarov, who will be 100 years old next year. The name of the animation is also associated with it, or rather, with the image of the Kazakh animation tree, the seed of which was planted and then nurtured by Amen Khaidarov.
– When creating the cartoon, I was inspired by Baurzhan Nugerbekov’s book When Fairy Tales Come to Life. I learned the basic information from it, – shared the director of the cartoon Zhanadil Baidarbekov.
In total, the creative association “Kazakhanimatsia” has 20 projects in its work today. They were selected from 167 applications received by the association from all over Kazakhstan.
– In the future, we also plan to create not only short cartoons, but also entire animated series, such as, for example, “Masha and the Bear” in Russia. So far we do not have such funds, but I think that in the future the situation will change and we will take our place in this market segment, – said Zhanibek Orazaly, head of the Kazakhanimation association.
In turn, Aday Abeldinov, President of the IV International Animated Film Festival ÁMEN, noted that he sees the task of this forum primarily in the promotion of domestic animation both in our country and abroad.
The article was published in No. 146, dated December 10, 2022, of the newspaper “Evening Almaty” under the heading “The Era of Cartoons”.
