Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Owners continue it tour of international film festivals. This time, Yerzhanov’s satirical drama hits the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) on September 28, 29 and 30, Tengrinews reports.
Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s The Owners continue it tour of international film festivals. This time, Yerzhanov’s satirical drama hits the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) on September 28, 29 and 30, Tengrinews reports.
It is the second time The Owners will be screened in Canada. Earlier, the Kazakhstani film appeared at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The VIFF praised Yerzhanov's film for a juxtaposition "of dry humour with the lush landscapes, shot with gorgeous, painterly cinematography." "Kafka meets Kaurismäki… [This] is a caustic critique of small-town corruption and croneyism in contemporary Kazakhstan. It is also poetic, surreal and visually arresting," the VIFF cited Stephen Dalton of Hollywood Reporter.
The protagonist Jon and his little brother Yerbol and sister Aliya have to leave their house in Almaty. Fortunately, their deceased mother devised a house in a distant village where they eventually set off. When it seems that all misfortunes are over, upon their arrival to the village, the family stumbles upon a relative of the local authority who has been living in their house illegally for over a decade and does not want to leave the house.
In 2012 Darezhan Omirbaev’s Student and in 2013 Emir Baigazin’s Harmony Lessons were also screened at the VIFF.
The Vancouver International Film Festival has been held in Vancouver, Canada since 1982. The film festival is considered one of the five biggest in the North America. Annually, around films from around 80 countries are screened during two weeks of late September and early October.
By Gyuzel Kamalova