Kazakhstani film The Owners in Cannes' Official Selection

Kazakhstani film director Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Owners will premier in the Special Screenings of the 67th Cannes Film Festival, Tengrinews reports.

The Kazakh movie was not in the Official Selection when it was announced weeks ago, but was added to the line up in late April along with five other titlles.

"This is unprecedented case. A (Kazakhstan-made) film without a foreign coproduction gets into the Official Selection of the Cannes Festival," Yerzhanov said.

The Owners film draws an absurd yet dramatic picture of two families fighting over a house. Two brothers who have a sickly little sister and the mother insane with grief on their hands are being evicted from their house by a local villager and his relative, a district policeman. But the brothers despite of not having any relatives to protect them are not willing to leave the house without a fight.

The film was shot in Almaty Oblast. Young graduates of the Zhurgenov Arts Academy played the main characters in the film. Olga Khlascheva and Serik Abishev were the produces of The Owners.

Another Kazakhstani film will be presented at the Cannes as well. Margulan Kapashev’s debut short film Free Birds, a philosophical parable, was entered into the Short Film Corner programme.

The 67th International Cannes Film festival is going to be held on May 14-25. 3,450 short films from 128 countries have been submitted to the Short Film Corner program jury this year. Jane Campion, a representative of the festival in the Eurasia Film Festival in Almaty will be the head jury for Cannes this year.

Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman will open the film festival.

Reporting by Aizhan Tugelbayeva, writing by Gyuzel Kamalova, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina