The government of Kazakhstan needs to pay special attention to cinematography, as many problems have accumulated in this area today, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the second meeting of the National Kurultai "Adal Azamat - Kazakhstan", QazMonitor reports citing the Akorda press service.
“Today, many problems have accumulated in the field of domestic cinema, various discussions and disputes have begun to arise more and more often. I'll give you an example. Currently, the owners of cinemas charge an impressive amount for the rental of domestic films. Most of the funds from ticket sales also go to cinemas and other private companies. Film producers cannot determine exactly how many people have seen their films in cinemas. As a result, having spent a great deal of time and energy and put all their knowledge into making movies, they only get a small share of the profits,” said the Head of State.
President Tokayev elaborated that producers have to make films on very modest budgets to cover their expenses and earn something. As a result, the quality of films really suffers, which is why the development of domestic cinema needs a new outlook and a new impetus.
For example, it would make sense to create a digital system for determining the number of cinema visitors. I instruct the Ministry of Culture and Sport to develop and implement such a platform in the near future.
The president emphasized the need for a comprehensive and consistent solution to the problems that have accumulated in the industry, treating the film industry as a separate sector of the economy.
“It is especially important to establish constructive cooperation between film producers and film distributors, which would take into account the interests of both sides. This is the only way that will enable us to have decent movies about new heroes, significant historical figures, and important events of our country, which will be shot not only by the Kazakhfilm studio, but also by private studios. Then, our rising generation will be brought up on our own heroes masterfully shown on the screen, rather than on the basis of foreign films,” noted President Tokayev.
The Head of State addressed in his speech how films on historic figures shot in the Soviet era aged well despite the lack of creative freedom, compared to the current state of things.
“Such earlier released films, as Kyz-Zhibek, The Fall of Otrar, and The End of the Ataman have become classics. I believe we need to make these types of films. Back then, there was no creative freedom, no great financial resources and no computer-generated graphics. Nevertheless, good films were made that still resonate in people’s hearts today,” said the President.
We must openly admit that the films made in recent years on historic themes have many grounds for criticism. Ultimately, we need to reform the cinema sector in a comprehensive way in close cooperation with experts.
