Bishkek Documentary Lab 2025 Bishkek Documentary Lab 2025 Bishkek Documentary Lab 2025
About the Lab
Bishkek Documentary Film Laboratory is a space for developing documentary filmmaking in Kyrgyzstan. We teach modern methods of film financing and promotion, provide access to international expertise, and create a platform for knowledge exchange and co-production.
Our goal is to support Kyrgyzstani filmmakers in reaching the global stage and to build a community of documentarians ready to tell stories that will be seen around the world.
Our goal is to support Kyrgyzstani filmmakers in reaching the global stage and to build a community of documentarians ready to tell stories that will be seen around the world.
Mentors of Bishdoclab 2025 mentors of Bishdoclab 2025
Askold Kurov
Askold Kurov is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and producer, recognized for his work on films focused on human rights issues and social conflicts in contemporary Russia. He has successfully overseen the production of multiple such projects, gaining acclaim at prestigious film festivals worldwide, including Berlinale and Sundance. Among his notable works is "WELCOME TO CHECHNYA," where he served as a producer and cinematographer, a film that was shortlisted for Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Additionally, he directed and produced "OF CARAVAN AND THE DOGS," which won the Best Documentary Award at the Krakow International Film Festival in 2024, as well as "NOVAYA," "THE TRIAL: The State of Russia vs Oleg Sentsov," "CHILDREN 404," and "LENINLAND".
Beyond his filmmaking endeavors, Askold Kurov has been a film school instructor at Un/Filmed, an online film school, since 2021. In this role, he developed and delivered a comprehensive curriculum in documentary filmmaking, while also mentoring students. He is a member of the American Television Academy. His expertise spans all aspects of documentary filmmaking, from research and pre-production to post-production and distribution.
Beyond his filmmaking endeavors, Askold Kurov has been a film school instructor at Un/Filmed, an online film school, since 2021. In this role, he developed and delivered a comprehensive curriculum in documentary filmmaking, while also mentoring students. He is a member of the American Television Academy. His expertise spans all aspects of documentary filmmaking, from research and pre-production to post-production and distribution.
Marianna Kaat
Marianna Kaat is an award-winning filmmaker and producer based in Tallinn, Estonia, with over two decades in the industry. She is the founder of Baltic Film Production (BFP), an independent production company specializing in internationally recognized documentaries.
Her notable works include Slave Island (2025), The Last Relic (2023), Life of Ivanna (2021), Close Relations (2016), Pit No 8 (2011)—all celebrated on the global festival circuit and won numerous awards. She has collaborated with leading directors and contributed to the advancement of creative non-fiction filmmaking.
Beyond filmmaking, Marianna Kaat is an Associate Professor at Tallinn University’s Baltic Film, Media, and Arts School and curates the Doc@PÖFF International Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Her contributions have earned her the Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award, a European Trailblazer title at MIPDOC Cannes, and multiple international festival awards. She is also an active mentor, guest tutor, and jury member at major industry events worldwide.
Her notable works include Slave Island (2025), The Last Relic (2023), Life of Ivanna (2021), Close Relations (2016), Pit No 8 (2011)—all celebrated on the global festival circuit and won numerous awards. She has collaborated with leading directors and contributed to the advancement of creative non-fiction filmmaking.
Beyond filmmaking, Marianna Kaat is an Associate Professor at Tallinn University’s Baltic Film, Media, and Arts School and curates the Doc@PÖFF International Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Her contributions have earned her the Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award, a European Trailblazer title at MIPDOC Cannes, and multiple international festival awards. She is also an active mentor, guest tutor, and jury member at major industry events worldwide.
Katerina Suvorova
Katerina Suvorova is a Kazakh documentary filmmaker whose work delves into environmental, social, and cultural shifts in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Through bold cinematic language and artistic exploration, she captures vanishing landscapes, unheard voices, and the resilience of communities in transition.
Her debut feature Sea Tomorrow (2016) paints a poetic portrait of life after ecological catastrophe, following those who remain by the vanished Aral Sea. Premiering at Locarno, the film was later released on Netflix Europe. Face The Music (2019), a reflection on artistic resistance, became a milestone for Kazakhstani documentaries, securing national theatrical release. In 2025, her film Qoryqpa: Streets Loud With Echoes (2024) - a striking study of social fractures and defiance - premiered at Hot Docs in the International Spectrum competition.
As the founder of Tihiy Svet (Quiet Light), she continues to push the boundaries of creative documentary filmmaking in the region.
She runs the DOCUSTAN Telegram channel dedicated to creative documentary filmmaking and is a co-founder of the horizontal initiatives QAZDOC, which unites independent documentary filmmakers in Kazakhstan.
Her debut feature Sea Tomorrow (2016) paints a poetic portrait of life after ecological catastrophe, following those who remain by the vanished Aral Sea. Premiering at Locarno, the film was later released on Netflix Europe. Face The Music (2019), a reflection on artistic resistance, became a milestone for Kazakhstani documentaries, securing national theatrical release. In 2025, her film Qoryqpa: Streets Loud With Echoes (2024) - a striking study of social fractures and defiance - premiered at Hot Docs in the International Spectrum competition.
As the founder of Tihiy Svet (Quiet Light), she continues to push the boundaries of creative documentary filmmaking in the region.
She runs the DOCUSTAN Telegram channel dedicated to creative documentary filmmaking and is a co-founder of the horizontal initiatives QAZDOC, which unites independent documentary filmmakers in Kazakhstan.
Participants of Bishdoclab 2025 Participants of Bishdoclab 2025
Aizada Amangeldy
A highly qualified playwright, director (VGIK graduate), and screenwriter with extensive experience. Aizada is a resident of the International Peredelkino Writers' House, a Nipkow Programm fellow (2024), and an IDFAcademy graduate (2024).
In 2025, she presented her fiction project at the Cannes Film Festival (Munich Film Up program). Her filmography includes award-winning feature films and documentaries. She is also a screenwriter for popular TV series with an audience of over 25 million viewers, which aired on the country's main television channel.
She is actively involved in the development of women's cinema, serving as a resident of the "Creative Women of Asia" foundation and a coordinator for the research project "Study of the Work of Women Directors in Kyrgyzstan."
In 2025, she presented her fiction project at the Cannes Film Festival (Munich Film Up program). Her filmography includes award-winning feature films and documentaries. She is also a screenwriter for popular TV series with an audience of over 25 million viewers, which aired on the country's main television channel.
She is actively involved in the development of women's cinema, serving as a resident of the "Creative Women of Asia" foundation and a coordinator for the research project "Study of the Work of Women Directors in Kyrgyzstan."
Alina Baitokova
A photographer and director who studied film and media arts at the American University of Central Asia. In her films, she explores intergenerational conflicts and female identity within the context of the Central Asian region. Alina is an active member of the independent film club "Tartaly," where she creates experimental films. Her debut project, Umai (a documentary about women in Kyrgyzstan), was screened in 2024 at the Film Forum of Women Directors in Kyrgyzstan, and her film The Happiness Seller was nominated for "Best Student Film" at the 48 Hour Film Race 2023.
Her other projects include Red Shoes, Uzak Jol, The Film That Didn't Work Out, Bishkek, I Love You, We Will Play, Zamandash, and Aidar in His Universe.
Her other projects include Red Shoes, Uzak Jol, The Film That Didn't Work Out, Bishkek, I Love You, We Will Play, Zamandash, and Aidar in His Universe.
Ilgiz-Sherniyaz Tursunbek Uulu
A documentary filmmaker and a graduate of the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. In 2023, he won the national "Ak Ilbirs" film award, and in 2024, he was awarded the "Excellent Worker of Kyrgyz Cinema" medal. In 2025, his short documentary film, A Long Road to a Summer Pasture, received the Grand Prix at the 71st International Short Film Festival Oberhausen.
Marat Ergeshov
A documentary filmmaker, editor, and lecturer at the Department of Radio, TV, and Cinema at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University.
He holds both a master's and a doctoral degree with dissertations in Journalism. He is the recipient of two "Ak Ilbirs" National Film Awards (2012) for his editing and sound design work on the film Nomadism.
He is a graduate of the II International Film School for Young Filmmakers from CIS and Baltic countries (Moscow, 2009) and the "Film Directing Courses" at Manas University (Bishkek, 2007).
He holds both a master's and a doctoral degree with dissertations in Journalism. He is the recipient of two "Ak Ilbirs" National Film Awards (2012) for his editing and sound design work on the film Nomadism.
He is a graduate of the II International Film School for Young Filmmakers from CIS and Baltic countries (Moscow, 2009) and the "Film Directing Courses" at Manas University (Bishkek, 2007).
Nazgul Omurjanova
A documentary filmmaker and editor, Nazgul is a graduate of the Department of Radio, TV, and Cinema at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. She has worked as an editing engineer on both fiction and documentary films, including projects such as Eshenaly Arabaev (2021), Salbuurun (2022), Kachkyn (2023), and Umai (2024), as well as recent films like Köz Irem (2024) and Aijan (2025). In addition to her editing work, Nazgul has served as an assistant director on several projects at the "Kyrgyzfilm" studio (Eshenaly Arabaev, Ene Til, Ayan) and worked as a sound engineer (Taza Suu, Er, Sputnik for Burulai). Her directorial debut was with her graduation film, Tamchy (2021).
Nurlan Anarbaev
A director, screenwriter, and producer, Nurlan is the founder of the production company "OKOY" (2012). His professional development includes studying marketing management, advertising, and PR at KSRU (2005), as well as attending Robert McKee's "Story on a Million" screenwriting workshop (2012) and a master class with Georgy Molodtsov (2015).
Filmography:
Filmography:
- Thank You, Coach! (2023) — short documentary film, screenwriter, director.
- Citizen (2021) — short documentary film, screenwriter, director.
- My Kyrgyzstan (2019) — short documentary film, screenwriter, director, producer.
Rasmiia Abasova
An emerging documentary film producer and director from Kyrgyzstan, Rasmiia is a graduate of the American University of Central Asia. She attended the CEU Summer School on Documentary Filmmaking focusing on human rights (Budapest, 2024) and the Un/Filmed intensive documentary course (Bishkek, 2024).
Her debut short film, Sürgünlər, explores the fragility of identity, memory, and language within the context of a vanishing culture.
Her works include:
Her debut short film, Sürgünlər, explores the fragility of identity, memory, and language within the context of a vanishing culture.
Her works include:
- The Price of Freedom (2022, short documentary, co-director, editor)
- Patience (2024, short documentary, co-director, camera operator)
- There Is No Death After the Dead (2025, short fiction film, producer)
- Sürgünlər (2025, short documentary, director, producer, camera operator)
Sultan Usuvaliev
A film scholar, Candidate of Arts, and a member of FIPRESCI. He teaches at the Faculty of Television, Film, and Media Arts at the American University of Central Asia. His research interests include the history of Kyrgyz cinema, film criticism, and documentary filmmaking.
His debut film, Who Is Next? (2023), was the first true crime documentary in Central Asia. It focuses on the practice of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan. Sultan worked as the director, screenwriter, and producer alongside Nurjamal Karamoldoeva. The film received numerous awards, including a "Special Mention" from the jury at the 39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and was named "Best National Film" at the 17th Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2023. The film also participated in the Main Competition of the Alternativa Film Awards (Kazakhstan, 2023).
His debut film, Who Is Next? (2023), was the first true crime documentary in Central Asia. It focuses on the practice of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan. Sultan worked as the director, screenwriter, and producer alongside Nurjamal Karamoldoeva. The film received numerous awards, including a "Special Mention" from the jury at the 39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and was named "Best National Film" at the 17th Bir Duino – Kyrgyzstan International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2023. The film also participated in the Main Competition of the Alternativa Film Awards (Kazakhstan, 2023).
Tynymgul Eshieva
A documentary filmmaker and media strategist with extensive experience in managing projects, campaigns, and content production. She brings her expertise in storytelling, media development, and strategic outreach to both local and globally relevant projects. Currently, she is working on her feature documentary, Indira, which follows the life and work of a human rights activist in Kyrgyzstan. Gulbara is her second project and with a background in journalism and strategic communications, she plays a key role in ensuring impactful international collaborations.
Filmography
A Little Bit of Mischief (2023, 4 min) – Winner, Best Amateur Film, 48 Hour Film Race Contest
I Grew Up Here (2023, 14 min) – Screened at Method Doc Festival, Almaty
Training & Labs
Course for Producers, Antares Creative Group (2022), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Documentary Course, Almcinema (2023), I Grew Up Here, A Little Bit of Mischief
Eurasia Doc (2023–24) – Pitched Indira
Tashkent WomenDoc (2024), Indira
Alternativa Impact Lab (2024) – Main Prize for Impact Strategy, Indira
Filmography
A Little Bit of Mischief (2023, 4 min) – Winner, Best Amateur Film, 48 Hour Film Race Contest
I Grew Up Here (2023, 14 min) – Screened at Method Doc Festival, Almaty
Training & Labs
Course for Producers, Antares Creative Group (2022), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Documentary Course, Almcinema (2023), I Grew Up Here, A Little Bit of Mischief
Eurasia Doc (2023–24) – Pitched Indira
Tashkent WomenDoc (2024), Indira
Alternativa Impact Lab (2024) – Main Prize for Impact Strategy, Indira
Aizhanat Kaparova
A camera operator and director, Aijanat is currently a student at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. She is also a member of the independent creative group "Tartaly," which focuses on making experimental films.
She served as director, camera operator, and editor on two of her short documentary films, shot during a Tartaly expedition:
She served as director, camera operator, and editor on two of her short documentary films, shot during a Tartaly expedition:
- Don't Film Me! (2025)
- Daughter, Let's Go to the Mountains (2025)
Program of Bishdoclab 2025 Program of Bishdoclab 2025
August 7, Thursday
09:00 – 12:30
Travel (Ololo Yurt → Ololo Akjol)
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 15:00
Welcome and introductions (10 min) + Opening pitches (3 people × 15 min)
15:00 – 16:00
Check-in, shower, rest, settle in
16:00 – 18:00
Opening pitches (6 people × 15 min)
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
19:30 – 22:30
General session: working with mentors
August 8, Friday
09:00 – 10:00
Setting the day's goals
10:00 – 13:00
General session: How to create an international story? What is modern documentary filmmaking? Genres and formats
Marianna Kaat
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 18:00
Mentor session
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
19:30 – 22:30
Film screening and discussion
August 9, Saturday
09:00 – 9:30
Reflection / well-being check-in
9:30 – 13:00
General session: Working with applications for international film funds and training programs
Katerina Suvorova
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 18:00
Mentor session
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
19:30 – 22:30
Film screening and discussion
August 10, Sunday
09:00 – 9:30
Reflection / well-being check-in
9:30 – 13:00
General session: The film's protagonist and how to work with them
Askold Kurov
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 18:00
General session: How to pitch your idea?
Askold Kurov & Marianna Kaat
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
19:30 – 22:30
Film screening and discussion
August 11, Monday
09:00 – 09:30
Reflection / well-being check-in
09:30 – 13:00
Final pitches (6 people × 15 min)
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 18:00
Mentor session
18:00 – 19:00
Dinner
19:30 – 22:30
Film screening and discussion
August 12, Tuesday
08:00 – 09:00
Breakfast, check-out
09:00 – 10:00
Feedback collection, next steps for future work
10:00 – 12:00
Travel back to Bishkek
Partners
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