In a rare concession to the decidedly un-Turkmen past-time of cinema-going, a Russian film jamboree began yesterday in the recently inaugurated Magtymguly Turkmen National Musical and Dramatic Theatre. The event was organised to mark Turkmen Independence Day and Russian Constitution Day, which both take place in the first half of December.
According to Turkmenistan.ru hundreds of local residents are expected to attend the screenings, which have been jointly organised by the Russian Embassy and the Turkmen Ministry of Culture and Media. Among the films to be shown are recent hits such as Filipp Yankovsky’s ‘Statski Sovetnik‘ (State Counsel) and Dzhanik Faiziyev’s ‘Turetskii Gambit‘ (Turkish Gambit).
Interestingly, there will also be two films by Stanislav Govorukhin, ‘Voroshilovkii Strelok‘ (The Rifleman of the Voroshilov Regiment) and ‘Blagoslovite Zhenshchinu‘ (Bless the Woman). This director has been in the news over the last few weeks for his participation in a Duma by-election, which he evetually went on to win. As was reported on this blog a few ago, this election had a peculiar Turkmen angle, so this film festival may be a gift of gratitude.