#18. The Light Thief
Director: Aktan Abdykalykov
Cast: Aktan Arym Kubat, Taalaikan Abazova, Askat Sulaimanov, Asan Amanov, Stanbek Toichubaev
Distributor: Rights Available.
Buzz:It played at Cannes this year and was probably sprinkled at several other fests such as Locarno, I’m looking at Abdykalykov’s film much in the same way I think about films like Tulpin and Turtles Can Fly — films that transport Western audiences into foreign lands, unknown scapes and uncommon human interactions.
The Gist: A funny and touching portrait of small-town politics in a rapidly globalizing world that follows Svet-ake, an electrician in a small Kyrgyz village who has been stealing electricity to help the impoverished local residents. When Bekzat, a wealthy land developer and former villager arrives to buy up the land for a group of Chinese investors, Svet-ake shares with him his dream to populate the valley with modern windmills—but soon Svet-ake realizes that not everyone has the best interests of the village community at heart.
TIFF Schedule: Friday September 10 6:00:00 PM AMC 4
Saturday September 11 9:30:00 AM AMC 3
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