The feature film "Talak", based on the stories of Beimbet Mailin, entered the main competition program of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF). A total of 14 films were included in the main competition program. Films from Argentina, Germany, Kazakhstan, Iran, Spain, China and Russia will compete for the main prize of the film festival.

"We planned to present our film at film festivals. And we are very glad that we will be able to do this on the site of the prestigious Shanghai International Film Festival, the largest in China. This is a big event for our entire cinema. I hope the historical picture will attract the attention of foreign viewers and will be remembered by them for the special wisdom and values of the Kazakh people," said the film's director Daniyar Salamat.

The film is set in the second half of the 20s of the last century. During these years, collectivization had already begun and the country loudly declared the victory of socialism. One of the popular slogans was "the emancipation of the women of the East." The poignant painting by Daniyar Salamat tells about the last years of the traditional Kazakh nomadism and the tragic consequences of cardinal changes. The title of the film "Talak" implies not only the dissolution of marital ties, but also a fierce time that does not spare people. The transition period has changed the social system and the centuries-old way of life of the people.

"Our film is based on two stories by Mailin - "Azhe" and "Talak". They are very suitable for the film adaptation. The characters are perfectly written out, which are understandable to the viewer. In addition, these works of Mailin are also valuable because they truthfully reflect the events that took place in the 20s of the last century. I also read Mailin's writings as a child. In adulthood, you perceive them in a different way, you want to convey the meaning to a wide audience. Unfortunately, in different years, only two short films based on Mailin's works were created by order of Kazakhfilm, so the idea of creating a full-length feature film appeared," Daniyar Salamat said.

The film was shot by SoftNet film company on the order of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of the State Center for the Support of National Cinema. The shooting of the historical picture took place in the Almaty region, near the village of Aulie Agash.

According to film critic Gulnara Abikeeva, Daniyar Salamat belongs to those Kazakh-speaking directors who "write and think in Kazakh", therefore his paintings "Together with his father", "Kishkentai", "Sagintai's First Wife", "Our House" are imbued with the Kazakh mentality. The film "Talak" is called by the film critic "an important brick of the common national memory." 

Note: The Shanghai International Film Festival has been held since 1993. At various times, Oliver Stone, Karen Shakhnazarov and other cinematographers were on his jury. SIFF has long ceased to be a regional event. It attracts celebrities not only from Asian, but also from the world cinema. Applications for participation in the show started in mid-December 2023. By the end of March, the organizers had received over 3.3 thousand works from 105 countries and regions of the world.