Ermek Tursunov (, born 20 July 1961) Kazakh writer and screenwriter, one of the best Asian Film director according to Asia Pacific Screen Awards, master of sport, international class in futsal.

Biography

Ermek Tursunov was born in the settlement of

Narynkol Narynkol (, ''Narynqol'') is a village in Raiymbek District of Almaty Region of Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of Narynkol rural district. Narynkol is located near the border with China, about 82 km east-south-east (ESE) from Kegen ...

Almaty Region Almaty Region ( ), formerly known as the Alma-Ata Region until 1993, is a region in Kazakhstan, located in the southeastern part of the country. It surrounds, but does not include, the eponymous city of Almaty. Its capital is Qonaev. Geography ...

, on 20 July 1961. He joined a sports school at the age of 5. Ermek continued his sports career at university playing professional futsal. As a member of Kazakhstan's national futsal team, Ermek took part in the 2000 World Cup in Guatemala. He is a graduate

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (), also called KazNU or KazGU, is a national research university located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after philosopher and scholar al-Farabi, it is one of the country's largest universities. KazNU is Kaza ...

(Dept. Of Journalism, 1984) and All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (Screenwriting and Film Studies Dept., 1990). In 1991, Ermek participated in Nevada-Semey movement

Anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan The anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan, commonly known as Nevada-Semipalatinsk (; ), was formed in 1989 and was one of the first major anti-nuclear movements in the former Soviet Union. It was led by author Olzhas Suleimenov and attracted thousa ...

, and as an NGO member spent 4 years studying in the USA. Later he worked as the CEO of the national broadcasting corporation

Qazaqstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

and Executive Producer of Channel 31 TV and radio broadcasting company.

Kelin Kelin was an ancient Iberian city located on the hill of Los Villares (Caudete de las Fuentes, Valencia). The site was inhabited from the Proto-Iberian period (7th century BC) to the Late Iberian period (2nd to 1st centuries BC). The site was wa ...

was Ermek's debut as a director in 2008. This work was shortlisted for

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

as the Best Foreign Language Film. 2012 saw his movie

The Old Man Old man, Old Man or The Old Man may refer to: Basic meanings * An elderly man * A father * A husband * Commanding officer of a military unit * Captain of a merchant ship or a warship * Any male amateur radio operator People * La Chapelle-aux-S ...

(Shal), inspired by Hemingway's

The Old Man and the Sea ''The Old Man and the Sea'' is a 1952 novella by the American author Ernest Hemingway. Written between December 1950 and February 1951, it was the last major fictional work Hemingway published during his lifetime. It tells the story of Santiag ...

. It collected numerous rewards, including Kulager, Kazakhstani national movie award, as the best movie of the year (2012); it was nominated for the

Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. In 2022 nominees were announced, b ...

for the Best CIS and Baltic Movie in 2014.

Stranger A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of ...

(Zhat) became another major movie in Tursunov's career as a screen director. Kazakhstan nominated it for an

and

Asia Pacific Screen Awards The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia, sometimes called "Asia-Pacific Oscars". In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting a ...

(Achievement in Directing); it received NETPAC award in the 19th Black Nights Festival in Tallinn. Ermek Tursunov was elected Chairman of the Kazakhstani Union of Filmmakers in 2018.

Filmography

Bibliography

Tursunov wrote Mameluke, Seven Days in May, The Little Things in Life, Once Upon a Time.

Awards

He was awarded the title of Honored Worker of Kazakhstan in 2016, on the 25th anniversary of the country's independence.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Kazakhstani screenwriters Kazakhstani film directors High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors alumni 1961 births Living people