Eurasia film festival opens in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, September 19 (Itar-Tass) --The seventh Eurasia international festival will open in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Monday with a
traditional red carpet march of film stars.
Among the guests are Russians Vladimir Yeremin, Vadim Kolganov, Sergei
Astakhov and Yelena Korikova and Hollywood actors John Cusack, Nastassja
Kinski, Sigourney Weaver, Ned Bellamy and film director Chuck Russell.
Russian Yegor Konchalovsky's hit "Return to A", the first 3D film in
Kazakhstan's cinematography history, will be presented at the festival.
The Eurasia festival works in accordance with the FIAPF regulations
and is included in the list of world film shows. Its high level is noted
not only by directors and producers who present their films, but also
distributors who see a professional ground there for film promotion.
According to the organizers, the contest programme has changed.
Central Asian films competed there formerly, and this time the format is
broadened to a big international contest to present films from Asian,
European and CIS countries.
The international jury will be headed by South Korean film director
Kim Ki-Duk. His last film "Arirang" will be shown in the "Special Event"
programme. The jury will also include Japanese film director Yoichi Sai,
Russia's Vladimir Khotinenko and popular French actor, director and
composer Gilles Marchand, whose film "Black Heaven" will be shown in the
out-of-contest programme.
Along with the international jury, critics of FIPRESCI (International
Federation of Film Critics) and NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian
Cinema) will work at the festival.
Aside from the international contest, there will be such programmes as
"Dynamically Developing Kazakh Cinema", "Winners of International Film
Festivals", "the Virtual West", "the Changing East", "The Echo of the
Venice Film Festival" and the programme of documentary films presented by
the U.S. Embassy.
The festival events will be held in Almaty till September 24.