Kazakh director Zhannat Alshanova's debut feature film, "Becoming Winners at the Start," will be shown to Kazakh audiences for the first time.
The premiere will take place on August 22 in Almaty as part of the Qyzqaras Film Festival. A meeting with the director will follow.
The film's world premiere took place in 2025 at the Locarno International Film Festival. It was later screened at festivals in Busan, Tallinn, Gothenburg, SXSW London, and other international venues. It won the Best Co-Production Award at the Tallinn Film Festival.
The film tells the story of 17-year-old Mila, who joins an open-water swimming team seeking independence. When her place on the team is threatened, she must make a difficult choice.
The film was a co-production between Kazakhstan, France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Sweden. Filming took place in Almaty and the Almaty region.
The film stars Tamiris Zhangazinova, Valentin Novopolsky, Asel Kalieva, and Medina Sagindykova. Caroline Champetier served as cinematographer.