Director of the film ‘Run, Adema, Run’ receives a cash price from AlmaU

AlmaU continues to support the development of the cinematic industry through its third year working with the international festival Baikonur. This year, the university offered a cash prize of 500,000, and the jury of the national competition awarded this prize to the film ‘Run, Adema, Run’.

“AlmaU is highlighting Fariza Tanai’s documentary film ‘Run, Adema, Run’ as a talented piece of work, in which such a subtle and unyielding aesthetic element as reality becomes the reason for making a cinematic metaphor – hoping for a supernatural guardian, for the peace of healing invulnerability which already lurks in her wordless prayers for it” – added director, specialist, PhD and Associate Professor of the AlmaU School of Media and Film, Aybarsha Bozheyeva.

18 films from 6 different countries participated in the feature and documentary short-film competition, with 26 in the national category. The film directed by Fariza Tanai is based on personal experience. The story about her own little girl left a distinct impression on the jury.

“After finding out about my daughter’s diagnosis I went through different stages of acceptance, and the point of Adema’s rehabilitation in Kyzylorda, that’s when it was filmed. The film was difficult for me. I have dedicated so many years to the theory and practice of directing, so when the time came for me to act, I found myself attached to my daughter, and her ongoing rehabilitation, 24/7. But what about me? What about my work? All of these questions were bothering me. Only now I understand that the film ‘Run, Adema, Run’ ended up being my lifeline, which pulled me out of this depression and helped me to dive back into the process of filming and editing” explained F. Tanai.

Anar Sekeyeva, Dean of School of Media and Film

“This is a very socially relevant piece of work with a very serious cinematic metaphorical language. Baikonur is a major platform in the cinema industry, especially in youth cinema. Since it started in 2014, it is growing every year. It began as a student competition, but now has grown into an international festival.”

Baikonur is the first international film festival for short films in Kazakhstan. For 8 years it has been supporting young filmmakers and has discovered new names not just in Kazakhstan, but in dozens of foreign countries, near and far.

Fariza Tanai – “I want to thank the Baikonur Film Festival for this platform, this opportunity to show my film! Thanks to Baikonur, the film has found its audience. I am also insanely happy to receive this cash certificate from AlmaU. And now my story has been able to touch the audience’s hearts. And since the film was judged and selected by the professional teaching staff at AlmaU university, the value of this recognition is even higher.”