Kazakhstan's First Berlinale Documentary Gives Women a Voice

For the first time ever, a documentary from Kazakhstan premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival, one of cinema's most prestigious stages. "River Dreams" brought 15 women's stories to a sold-out theater in Berlin, proving that voices from Central Asia deserve global attention.

Director Kristina Mikhailova spent five years creating her debut feature, following girls and young women who live along the Aksay River near Almaty. She asked each one to imagine herself as a river, and their answers revealed dreams, fears, and hopes for futures free from violence and inequality.

Nearly 100 young women responded to Mikhailova's unusual online call. Twenty-five sat for interviews lasting up to three hours, sharing stories so personal that Mikhailova decided she needed to appear on camera too.

The filming took place across 2022 and 2024, bookending a national tragedy that shook Kazakhstan. When former economy minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev killed his wife Saltanat Nukenova in 2023, the case sparked nationwide conversations about domestic violence and women's safety.

The road to Berlin tested every bit of the team's determination. When the festival accepted the film, post-production wasn't even finished because funding had run out.

Producer Dana Sabitova and Mikhailova made a calculated risk. They submitted an unfinished version, hoping a major festival selection would unlock the money they needed to complete it.

Their gamble worked. The Berlinale announcement helped them secure last-minute investment to finish the film.

Why This Inspires

The challenges didn't stop there. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture declined to fund their travel to Berlin, reportedly because the film wasn't in the main competition.

Without government support or formal international co-production agreements, Mikhailova and Sabitova funded much of the production themselves. They worked for years without pay, believing their project mattered enough to keep going.

Support eventually came from Switzerland and the United Kingdom, though limited by the lack of official frameworks. The premiere audience responded with laughter, tears, and so many questions that not everyone in the packed theater got to ask theirs.

For Sabitova, the selection carries weight beyond recognition. Festival programmers chose a documentary from Kazakhstan because they wanted those voices at their event.

Mikhailova sees the premiere as validation that debut filmmakers can establish themselves through sheer determination. Major festival recognition builds trust in independent voices, she says, especially those telling stories that institutions might overlook.

The film screened in Forum Special, a section dedicated to bold and politically engaged cinema. This year's motto, "Be Human Only, Dish Out the Truth," matched the documentary's unflinching honesty perfectly.

Several of the women featured in the film traveled to Berlin for the premiere, stepping onto an international stage alongside their director. Their presence proved that when women share their stories with radical tenderness, the whole world leans in to listen.