155: Raising awareness of “bride kidnapping” in Kyrgyzstan
In partnership with one of our contest jurors, Daniar Abdykerimov, we produced a short film to draw attention to the ongoing practice of kidnapping women and forcing them to marry their kidnapper in Daniar’s native Kyrgyzstan. Named “155,” after Article 155 of the Kyrgyzstan Criminal Code, which bans the kidnapping of women for marriage, we hope it will reach as wide and audience as possible and contribute to the ending of this human rights violation.
A shorter version of “155” is on YouTube here
Interviews with Daniar, actress Anara Taalaybek Kyzy and crew members are here
On set: Mira, played by Anara Taalaybek Kyzy, talks on the phone as a car draws up behind her
Lead actress Anara Taalaybek Kyzy, who plays a woman kidnapped on her way home
Behind the scenes of the filming of “155”
Casting director Umsunay Musaeva during a break in filming of “155”
Filming the kidnap of Mira
Director Daniar Abdykerimov, left, and production designer Kulchoro Shermatov
Anara Taalaybek Kyzy, who plays Mira; writer and director Daniar Abdykerimov; and casting director Umsunay Musaeva
Production designer Kulchoro Shermatov and the stunning backdrop to “155,” in Kadji Say, a village near Lake Issyk-Kul in eastern Kyrgyzstan