Myn Bala: A Kazakh Epic

15:50, 4 September 2012

ASTANA. September 4. KAZINFORM The Kazakh film, Myn Bala is a big budget movie, an historical epic. It is the story of an 18th century legend of bitter battles, of good triumphing over evil and of young love. The film is aiming to showcase the history and legacy of the Kazakhstan people and in the myth making business that is the cinema its hoped this epic will win over an international audience and raise the profile of the Kazakh film industry.

From the first days in production the cameras recorded the making of this 12 million euro movie. Historical accuracy was key in the story of how a thousand boy warriors, the Myn Bala rid the country of the Dzunghen a race of Mongol warriors, the euronews reports.

A staggering 22,000 hopefuls competed for the lead roles. For the stars who were successful it was a sharp learning curve in the arts of acting.

"When we filmed the battle scenes I saw a thousand extras coming at me. My heart began to beat and I could just imagine how my ancestors felt in the real battle when there were 300,000 warriors and not a thousand extras," explained Asylkhan Tolepov the lead actor.

Director, Akan Sateyev shot the film in over eight different locations around the Tien-Shan mountains.

"Happily the film was well received by the public. They understood our message and in general it can be understood by anyone, anywhere in the world that is the fight for independence, the fight for freedom," he said.

Released in May and aiming to get a new generation of movie goers in Kazakhstan excited about their history it grossed a million euros in its first weekend the same as the blockbuster Avatar.

The epic, was screened at some of the top film festivals including Cannes.