The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time

The film tells a seemingly simple story of fathers and sons, horses and kittens, everyday life and the banality of death, all of which can quickly get lost in the vast expanses of the Kazakh steppe. The taciturn narrative is underlined by tableau-like imagery. Thus the film develops into a series of landscapes, both of nature and the soul, from the gravity of which hope springs time and again. The viewer experiences the plot from the vantage point of the main protagonist little Olzhas, a perspective that conveys an impression of honesty, almost naivety. The little boy's eyes capture every detail and that's how one gets a feel for the real depth of the story. The production dispenses with any superficial tension and thus draws attention to the important details along the way, since as with everything else in life it comes down to the little things, which are usually more exciting than anything else. JP

After the film you can watch the Q&A between the film directors Yerlan Nurmukhambetov, Lisa Takeba, producer Yuliya Kim and FFC-moderator Joshua Jádi.