Success stories of our graduates 2
KTMU graduate Altynai Adamaliyeva shares the story behind her award-winning documentary in the Arctic
Altynai Adamaliyeva, a 2024 graduate of the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema at the Faculty of Communication of Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University (KTMU), has attracted international attention in the film industry with the documentary she produced as her graduation project. The young director was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the “Golden Raven” International Arctic Film Festival, held in Anadyr, Russia, from March 30 to April 6.
The documentary tells the story of a woman who, despite having completed three higher education programs, has built her life around animal husbandry and yak breeding. Centered on themes of women’s labor, rural life, and individual choice, the film offers a powerful narrative. It has also attracted attention at many prestigious platforms, including Eurasia.doc in Minsk, VGIK in Moscow, the Turkish Documentary Film Festival in Ankara, Bir Duino in Kyrgyzstan, Copper Flower in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, and the Aydın Doğan competition in Istanbul.
We spoke with Altynai Adamaliyeva about both the award and the story behind this journey.
“What impressed me most in this story was the courage to choose one’s own path”
At the heart of the film, which has received awards at international festivals, is a woman who chooses a life outside conventional urban patterns despite her education. Speaking about the starting point of the documentary, Adamaliyeva emphasizes the impact this character had on her: “What affected me most in this story was a person truly deciding her own life. The fact that a woman with three university degrees chose to return to nature, labor, and a life she consciously selected was incredibly powerful. In this character, I saw not only an individual choice but also a deep philosophy of life.”
According to the young director, the strength of the documentary lies not in dramatic events but in the quiet yet meaningful transformations within everyday life. For this reason, the film connects a local life story with a universal emotional resonance.
“Documentary filmmaking taught me how to observe and to be patient”
Adamaliyeva notes that documentary cinema imposes a different kind of responsibility on the director compared to fiction, describing the filming process as an intellectual education beyond technical skills: “When making a documentary, you cannot direct events; you work with whatever life gives you. This process taught me how to observe, to listen, and to be patient. Waiting for the right moment was just as important as turning on the camera.”
For her, this film became a personal experience demonstrating how deep the relationship between cinema and life can be.
An award from the Arctic: “This is not only my success, but the success of everyone involved”
Adamaliyeva highlights that receiving an award at the “Golden Raven” International Arctic Film Festival—one of the significant cultural and artistic events in the northernmost part of Russia—holds special meaning for her. Describing the festival atmosphere as “geographically distant but emotionally very close,” she emphasizes that she does not see the award as solely a personal achievement: “This journey to Anadyr was very symbolic for me. It was incredibly valuable that a university project could be screened and appreciated on the other side of the world. I see this award as important not only for myself, but on behalf of everyone who believed in me, contributed, and supported me throughout this process.”
“KTMU gave me not only technical knowledge, but also the courage for cinema”
Adamaliyeva particularly stresses the decisive role played by Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University in the creation of the film, both academically and technically. She notes that the camera, drone, and sound equipment provided by the university significantly facilitated the production process, while also emphasizing that the support went beyond equipment:
“I received a free, but more importantly, high-quality education. Manas not only provided technical opportunities, but also taught me how to think, create, and approach a story with a cinematic perspective.” She also points out that Stambulbek Mambetaliyev, who served as the art director of the film, made an important contribution to the project, highlighting that creative production is a team effort.
“My life is truly divided into ‘before Manas’ and ‘after Manas’”
One of the most striking parts of the interview was Adamaliyeva’s reflection on her university experience as a personal transformation. She describes KTMU not only as an educational institution but also as a place where she found her direction:“My life is truly divided into two parts: ‘before Manas’ and ‘after Manas.’ These five years did not only give me a diploma; they also taught me how to understand myself, find my own path, and look at the world from a different perspective.” She adds that through cinema, she gained the opportunity to travel, reach different geographies, and tell her story on larger platforms, describing this period as “a personal turning point and a period of personal renewal.”
A message to young filmmakers: “Great stories are sometimes hidden in the simplest lives”
At this stage of her career, Adamaliyeva shares an important message for young people who want to work in documentary filmmaking:“Sometimes the most powerful stories are hidden in lives very close to us, which we often fail to notice. If you truly know how to observe, cinema will offer you a story everywhere.”
From a graduation project to international success
Altynai Adamaliyeva’s documentary stands as a striking example of how a graduation project, through disciplined effort, proper guidance, and a strong cinematic language, can enter the international circuit. The award from the Arctic represents not only a significant milestone in a young director’s career, but also a tangible reflection of the impact of film education at KTMU’s Faculty of Communication in the field of arts and culture.
