Costume of Kyz Zhibek heroine to return to Kazakhfilm museum

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information, the information was shared by Meruert Utekesheva, who played the film’s lead role.

The fate of the costume set from the legendary movie was discussed by Yevgeniy Kochetov, Vice Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of a joint session of Parliament.

Earlier, the kamzol (a traditional decorative vest) from the costume sparked discussion on social media after the film prop ended up in the private collection of producer Bayan Alaguzova. It was later handed over by Alaguzova to Meruert Utekesheva.

“The kamzol from Kyz Zhibek is a highly symbolic object for Kazakhstan’s cinematography and for the history of the country’s film industry as a whole. We are currently conducting an investigation. My colleagues have spoken with the highly respected Meruert Utekesheva, and we have already reached an agreement — she personally expressed the wish that once the entire costume set, not just the kamzol, is assembled, it will be transferred to the Kazakhfilm museum,” the vice minister said.

According to him, before the incident the full costume had been stored at the Kazakhfilm museum alongside other film props and preserved in accordance with established requirements.

“To prevent similar incidents in the future, we are now digitizing everything in the Kazakhfilm museum — all costumes and props used in Kazakh cinema. They will be made available so that people can view and track them,” he added.

Kochetov also noted that the ministry plans to digitize other museum exhibits, as well as props from well-known Kazakh films and theatrical productions.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan had digitized more than 66,000 museum exhibits as part of ongoing efforts to modernize and preserve the country’s cultural heritage.