The Ministry of Culture believes that Kazakhstan needs more high-grossing movies dubbed into Kazakh. Minister Askhat Oralov discussed the issue with his colleagues, as reported by QazMonitor citing the ministry’s press service.
"Since the beginning of the year, several major movie premieres have taken place in Kazakhstan. Some of them were missed by our viewers due to the lack of Kazakh dubbing. I have been monitoring public opinion, and people have raised questions for our ministry. We must not overlook this matter. [High-grossing] box office movies should be accessible to the audience,” said Oralov.
The minister also revealed how many films will be dubbed in the state language in the upcoming years.
This year, we have developed and received government approval for a 7-year concept for the development of the cultural sphere. We are now setting a goal to release a minimum of 15 movie premieres annually with Kazakh dubbing.
Earlier in March, the Minister of Culture and Sports approved the rules for selecting films for dubbing into the state language. Over the next few years, the Ministry intends to increase the proportion of Kazakh-language films in the total distribution to 30%. This percentage is also expected to rise due to the dubbing of successful foreign box-office films into the state language.
"Furthermore, there is another issue: films released with Kazakh dubbing are not always shown at convenient times for viewers. People reach out to me about this on social networks. Those who wish to watch movies in the state language often have to attend late-night screenings. Clearly, this is not ideal. We recognize that this is a private business matter.
Nevertheless, I firmly believe that from the perspective of the state, we have a responsibility to ensure that movie premieres, which are enjoyed worldwide, are exhibited in the state language and at suitable times. Therefore, it is imperative to intensify efforts in this direction in collaboration with private entrepreneurs and cinema owners," said the Minister.
