Director Erlan Ushakpaev: "If a person remains silent after a film, it means the film has achieved its goal"
A generation of filmmakers is increasingly emerging in Kazakhstani cinema. They are entering the profession not through the big studio systems, but through their own experience, small teams, social projects, and a desire to engage with audiences about what's happening around them. Their films are often born not from large budgets, but from observations of life, human stories, internal conflicts, and topics that don't always make the headlines.One such director is Erlan Ushakpayev, head of the creative collective INSPIRE CG. For nearly ten years, his team has been working at the intersection of social themes, visual storytelling, and independent filmmaking. Beginning with social videos, short films, and documentaries, the collective gradually transitioned to feature-length films, while maintaining its core value: an interest in people and their inner world. The team's filmography already includes projects ranging in genre and tone: the feature films "Oh, Läylä" and "Welcome to Zhetysu," the musical "I Love Taldykorgan," the film "Ustaz," dedicated to the importance of the teaching profession, as well as new works with social and historical themes.For Erlan Ushakpaev, cinema isn't just about plot, visuals, or acting. Above all, it's about the ability to evoke genuine emotion in the viewer. Sometimes, he says, the silence after the end credits is the key indicator that a film has truly reached a person. The director spoke about his new projects, the work of a small team, finding his own style, and the power of on-screen silence in an interview.– Let's start with your current projects. What is the team currently working on?– Our most recent major projects include the films "Oqylmaqan Khattar" and "Atasynyq Balasy." These works differ in their dramatic themes, but both are connected to human memory, relationships, and inner experiences."Oqylmaqan Khattar" addresses the theme of deportation during the Soviet period. It was important for us to tell this story not only through historical fact but also through the lives of individuals. This is a drama about a time in which people face loss, forced displacement, and pain, yet never lose their capacity for empathy. Through such stories, we can speak about the friendship of nations, mutual support, and human dignity without slogans—through individual lives."Atasynyn Balasy" is a social drama set during the pandemic. In the story, elderly people from a nursing home are temporarily placed in an orphanage. At first glance, they have nothing in common: different generations, different life traumas, different levels of loneliness. But gradually, they begin to connect. People who were strangers become almost like family.Both projects were challenging. They required not only technical expertise but also a great deal of emotional involvement. When working with such topics, it's important not to resort to artificial dramatization. You need to preserve the truth of the moment, not pressure the viewer, but allow them to experience the story themselves.Currently, the film "Ustaz-2" is in pre-production. We're also working on a new project, the title of which we're not revealing yet. I can only say it will be a psychological drama. Additionally, several other projects with social and historical themes are in the scripting stage.– Tell us about your creative team. Who is behind INSPIRE CG's projects today?– The team's composition always depends on the scale of the project. Currently, our core team consists of six people. But the unique feature of our work is that each specialist combines several disciplines.I direct and edit, and sometimes I'm behind the camera myself. Our cinematographer not only films but also handles color correction. The screenwriter also serves as a producer. The sound engineer handles sound design and composes. The administrative specialist also works as a costume designer and casting director. A production designer can assist the camera crew.For independent filmmakers, this is a crucial experience. When the team is small, everyone understands the entire process better. You can't just focus on your own task. You need to see the project as a whole: from the idea and script to shooting, editing, sound, and promotion.Of course, this type of work requires a lot of dedication. But it also has its advantages. A small team makes decisions faster, reacts more flexibly to circumstances, and has a stronger sense of the material. When everyone is involved in the story, film becomes more than just a production process, but a shared endeavor.— Watching a film and making a film—are they two different worlds?— I think so. The audience perceives a film primarily through emotion. They don't come to the cinema to analyze cuts, lighting, or camera movements. They want to experience the story. For them, the film either resonates with them or it doesn't. And this reaction is very honest.A director views film differently. They notice how the shot is constructed, why the light falls a certain way, why the actor pauses, why the scene is edited with a certain rhythm. For a director, a film is a system of decisions. Every element has a reason: in color, sound, silence, tempo, the actor's gaze.But at the same time, they mustn't forget the viewer. Sometimes the director can get too carried away with form and lose the living connection with the person on the other side of the screen. And yet, cinema is created to be heard and felt.Much depends on taste. One viewer prefers a slow, arthouse film, another a fast-paced commercial film. There is no universal formula for cinema. But there is an important requirement: a film must have sincerity and emotion. Without these, the viewer immediately senses falseness.– What is more important to you in cinema: a strong plot, a visual image, or emotion?– All three elements are important. Visuals help the viewer enter the world of the film. They create atmosphere, space, and mood. Plot holds attention and carries a viewer from beginning to end. But it's the emotion that most often lingers in the memory.Sometimes a film can be very simple in plot, but if it has a real feeling, it will stay with you for a long time. And sometimes the opposite happens: visually, the work is flawless, technically beautiful, but internally, it lacks life. You watch and realize that the image is there, but the soul is missing.For me, the most important thing is the impact on the viewer's inner state. Cinema should not simply tell a story, but leave a mark. It may not provide a ready-made answer, but it should raise questions. It may not explain everything completely, but it should make you think.If after the final credits, the viewer doesn't immediately start talking, if they remain silent for a while and linger in what they've seen, then the film has achieved its goal.– Many young directors today are searching for their own style. How would you describe yours?– I probably prefer realistic cinema, built on emotion and atmosphere. I'm interested in conveying a person's inner state through a frame, a pause, a look, a silence. Sometimes silence alone can say more than a long dialogue.I don't perceive style solely as visual beauty. A beautiful shot alone doesn't make a film powerful. It must work to enhance the story, the character, and their state of mind. If a shot is beautiful but says nothing about the person, for me it loses its meaning.Style isn't a set of techniques. It's the director's attitude toward people, society, and life. A film always reveals how the author views the world: with pain, with hope, with irony, with love, with anxiety. This is what shapes a true cinematic language.– Your films often address social issues. Why is this important to you?– For me, a social issue isn't necessarily something difficult or problematic. It's primarily a conversation about people. About family, loneliness, memory, choice, responsibility, hope. I think cinema can help us see things we sometimes overlook in everyday life.When telling the story of an elderly person, a teacher, a child, or a family going through a difficult time, it's important not to turn the character into a symbol. He must remain a living person. With his weaknesses, fears, mistakes, and dignity.I'm interested in cinema that reveals something greater behind a personal story. Through one person, we can speak of an entire society. Through one family, of time. Through one pause, of pain that cannot be explained in words.– What is your main guideline when working on a film?– Honesty. In relation to the story, to the character, to the viewer, and to yourself. You can make mistakes in form, you can search, experiment, argue with yourself. But you can't deceive emotion.When a film is made solely for effect, it's noticeable. When a scene is written not from within, but for the sake of a beautiful phrase, that too is visible. That's why I always try to understand why we're telling this story. What's important about it? Why now? What should people feel after watching it?For me, cinema isn't just a profession. It's a way to talk about what excites you. Sometimes very quietly, without loud words. But if this silence reaches the viewer, then it was not in vain.
