By Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Country: Kazakhstan
Languages: Kazakh, Russian
Original title: The Owners
Casting: Yerbolat Yerzhan, Aidyn Sakhaman, Aliya Zainalova, Bauyrzhan Kaptagai, Nurbek Mukushev
Production year: 2014
Runtime: 01h33
Production company: Short Brothers LLC
25 year-old John, his teenage brother Erbol, and their sickly 12 year-old sister Aliya, are forced to leave their house in the Kazakh city of Almaty. By luck their mother left them a house in a remote village, where they plan to prepare their comeback. But the house appears to be on the wish list of the District Officer’s alcoholic brother, who has lived there illegally for 10 years. The police will do everything in their power to make the brothers’ lives in the village impossible. Through the alembic of the absurd THE OWNERS depicts routine injustice growing to unexpected cruelty, against a background of general indifference.
Cannes 2014 – Official Selection – Special Screening
Edinburgh IFF 2014
Moscow IFF 2014
Lima IFF 2014
Toronto IFF 2014 – Contemporary World Cinema
Vancouver IFF 2014
Busan IFF 2014
Chicago IFF 2014 – Special Mention for Originality
Warsaw IFF 2014 – Free Spirit Award
Sao Paulo IFF 2014
Cottbus IFF 2014
San Diego Asian FF 2014
Goa IFF 2014
Festival des 3 Continents 2014
Singapore IFF 2014
Ficunam IFF 2015 – Competition
Fribourg IFF 2015 – Competition
Istanbul IFF 2015