Their First Big Race
“The Shortest Man In The Village Who Can Soar Like An Eagle” is our current passion project. You can read about it, and watch a trailer here. Guess where we’ve been? In January, we went to Eldoret. Spent New Year’s Day trying to find a bike race that didn’t actually exist. Visited Langgas. Hung out...
Boreak, All Grown Up
Our friend in Siem Reap sent us some photos of Boreak yesterday. He was a kid when we last said goodbye. A skinny little bundle of energy who couldn’t stop talking. Look at him now, all grown up. Here he is with Khan, who translated for us during the making of Aki Ra’s Boys. Back...
Hourt
Hourt was Aki Ra’s wife, but you barely see her in Aki Ra’s Boys. She wasn’t too keen about being in the limelight – in one scene, she’s helping to clean some newly defused landmines. In another, she’s splashing around in a lake, having a ball with the kids, urging them to swim faster, jump...
Boreak Goes To Toronto
Heather, the Artistic Director at Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival just sent us this press clipping on Aki Ra’s Boys. We continue to be amazed at how far Boreak’s story has travelled.John TeraudsEntertainment Reporter, Toronto Star Akira’s Landmine Musuem has an unforgettable guide in 12-year old Boreak. He can tell you the name, purpose and...
Visitors From Earth
A huge Starbucks sign. Yao Ming peddling mobile plans. No guide waiting just beyond check-out. No guide telling you to hand over your cellphone. Or follow you around. Or hustle you onto the bus. Taxis on demand! Beijing. The real world. We’re still coping with the culture shock. Pyongyang was all about what we couldn’t...
Pyongyang
It is hard to visit North Korea with no pre-conceived notions. The secret state. That place ruled by the strange man with the even stranger hairdo. A man adored by millions. A man said to be intent on pushing the world to the brink of nuclear disaster. Whacky, was a word someone once used to...
Gotta Love A Smart Audience
Our second best screening of Aki Ra’s Boys, ever. The best, was of course, the one we had for the kids at the Landmines Museum. They came, they munched on hotdogs, they totally got all the jokes in the film, and then after that they asked some very insightful questions. Boy, do we love a...
The Other PIFF
We’re going to North Korea! Aki Ra’s Boys has been invited to the Pyongyang International Film Festival – yes, it’s true, they have a festival there. The last one featured films like Bend it Like Beckham and Cry, the Beloved Country. The Dear Leader, we’re told, loves movies and the festival has been described as...
Language Lessons Not Included
So guess what? We won an award in Almaty. This one came as a big surprise: The Encyclopedia Prize, given to Aki Ra’s Boys for integrity and creativity in filmmaking. The prize, as the name implies, included a beautiful set of encyclopedias about Kazakh culture and history. Six very heavy and very Russian books. They’re...
The Red Carpet
Who says you need to be in Cannes to walk on one? The Kazakh version led us all the way into the Palace of the Republic, for the opening ceremony of the Almaty International Film Festival. Police everywhere. Crowds straining to see. Paparazzi. Everyone went wild when Russian actor, Alexander Mokhov, showed up. The organizers...
