Kazakh film takes award at Estonia's PÖFF Festival
The film Becoming clinched a prestigious award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), Qazinform News Agency cites the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information.
The feature film was honored at the festival's closing gala.
Becoming centers on 17-year-old Mila, who joins an open-water swimming team in a bid for independence and to escape family turmoil. The protagonist faces a pivotal choice that threatens to change her destiny forever.
The cast features Tamiris Zhangazinova, Assel Kaliyeva, Medina Sagindykova, and Lithuanian actor Valentin Novopolskij.
Director and producer Zhannat Alshanova took home the Award for Best Baltic Producer for Co-production.
The world premiere of Becoming took place in August 2025 at the Locarno Film Festival, one of Europe's most prestigious film platforms. The film subsequently screened at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.
As Qazinform previously reported, the film received support from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information and the State Center for Support of National Film. It is an international co-production with France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Sweden, and was also supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.