Postcard from Bishkek

Something unusual happened last May; the Committee on Science, Culture and Sports of the Jogorku Kenesh, (the parliament), passed a resolution.

You might think that there’s nothing unusual in that … after all, that’s what parliament’s do.  It’s their job.

This one caught my eye, however, because this one concerned marking the 75th anniversary of the birth of the film Director and politician, Dooronbek Sadyrbaev in 1939 … a film producer and “public figure”.   Kyrgyzstan is one of those places where events may be organized well in advance … but public announcements about them tend to be made at the last moment.  So, why was this one different.

Dooronbek Sadyrbaev produced more than seventy documentary films, sixteen feature films and who wrote eight books and more than seven hundred articles.

He was born on 13th February, 1939, (although some of the biographies seem to suggest that he was born in 1940), in the village of Apyrtan in the Nooken District of Djalal Abad oblast – as it was then.

Attended the Kyrgyz tate Medical Institute but left in 1961 after four years of study, going to work in Kyrgyz Television as an assistant Director, announcer, editor and director.  Almost a decade later, in 1969, he graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography.

From here he went on to become Director at KyrgyzTeleFilm – where he worked for over twenty years, until 1992, when he became the Artistic Director of the studio “Ihlasfilm production”, (in Istanbul, Turkey).

• His films, some of which won awards in international film and television competitions and festivals, included:
• • Grip in the saddle,
  • Arman – based on a story by Chinghiz Aitmatov,
  • Country mosaic,
  • The Song of Love – based on Chinghiz Aitmatov’s book And the Day Lasts Longer Than A Hundred Years
  • Rendezvous with my son and
  • Crying wolf  - a two part feature film based on the third part of the book Plakha by Chinghiz Aitmatov (The Place of the Skull) telling the story of a family of wolves and their interaction with their human neighbours – a collision of two modes of wexistence .  It was filmed to commemorate Aitmatov’s 60th anniversary, (in record time and at a fraction of the normal cost).  He called this his “self portrait”.
• Television series: “El Kayran”
• Newsreels and documentaries: “The teacher of the Russian language”, “Land of the Fathers” and ” Chu valley”

 

In 1995 he entered politics and was elected three times to the parliament – becoming the Chairman of the El Kayran party in 1999 and he was one of the founders of the Ata Jurt (Fatherland) party in 2004 and later joined the Asaba Party.  He served as a member of the Constitutional Council and the working group to develop consolidated proposals for the system of government and administration.  Her was also a State Counsellor.

At the beginning of 2008, he was one of the founders of the Revolutionary Committee, uniting some 20 opposition parties and organizations, which called for the voluntary resignation of President Bakiev.

 

He married the actress Sonunbubu Kolbaeva, and had one son.

 

Among the many awards showered upon him were Honoured Worker of the Kyrgyz SSR; People’s Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Order of Manas.

He died on 28th May, 2008, from a “loss of blood” as a result of cirrhosis of the liver and both heart and lung problems, losing consciousness and almost being resuscitated … his heart stopped twice.  He had been ill ill for some time and two years before had been hospitalized with the same diagnosis.

He was posthumously awarded the title of Baatyr (Hero) of the Kyrgyz Republic and Sk Shumkar.  A street in Bishkek was also named in his honour in 2011.

According to Roxa Otunbaeva in her speech at the Baatyr award ceremony

Dooronbek Sadyrbaev was a prominent social and political figure in Kyrgyzstan, which has made an enormous contribution to the development of the country.  He was an extraordinary person, a true patriot of his homeland. His whole life is a shining example of selfless service to his people and his country. He was a straightforward and principled man who always spoke the truth without equivocation in the face, regardless of rank.  He enjoyed great prestige among the people, who always listened to him. He left an indelible mark on our history, not only as a statesman and public figure, but also as a talented actor, director, writer, poet and publicist. His memory will forever remain in our hearts.

 

 

Tags: For_the_Record, Kyrgyzstan, People