Collaboration & Creativity
Өнөрүң болсо өргө чап, кор кылбай алтын жанды бак
Collaboration & Creativity
Өнөрүң болсо өргө чап, кор кылбай алтын жанды бак
Oral History: Traditional Hunting
Filmed in 2017 in Sary-Mogol village in the Alai Valley, this documentary follows Toktomaat, a third-generation traditional hunter in the Pamirs Mountains of Central Asia, who narrates his own story. The film explores his life growing up in Kara-Kol and his engagement in subsistence hunting of Marco Polo sheep, ibex, and snow leopards. Rich in oral histories, the documentary offers valuable insights into the impacts of hunting on wildlife and how human practices have evolved over time. Both traditional and modern hunting continue to play an important cultural role for Kyrgyz communities today. The film is available upon request.
2024-2025.
“Sensations of Seasonal Rhythms” by Daler Kaziev, a graduate student in natural resources, focuses on how farmers in the Pamir Mountains of central Asia are attuned to seasonal sensations corresponding to cyclical changes in the natural environment, countering notions of linear time (link). The Seasonal Calendars in Kyrgyz (link) or English (link) languages can be downloaded. For more information about climate change adaptation and Ecological Calendars visit the following (link) or a short video presentation (link).
2018-2021
The film Murghab is the result of a close collaboration between three filmmakers, all of them with a background in anthropology. Daler, who grew up in Murghab, brought crucial knowledge and personal connections to the team; Martin contributed his experience from making two prior feature-length documentary films as well as insights from his own research in the Pamirs; and Marlen added her skills in tracing atmospheric tunes and her expertise in sound recording. This film was part of the The High Land Asia (link).
2017-2019