MADINA

Madina, a dancer, lives together with her grandmother, her younger brother and her two-year-old daughter. She tries to earn enough to support the whole family by working as a dance instructor by day and a go-go dancer in a club by night. Running the gauntlet between harassment by her ex-husband and an oligarch's unwelcome advances, to top it all off one day she discovers a family secret that changes everything. The second feature-length film by Kazakh director Aizhana Kassymbek, who once again opted to shoot with an exclusively female crew, impressively relates the story of a resilient woman confronted with outside expectations and her own inner doubts. Additionally, MADINA grapples with the demands of patriarchy and society in general, making clear in the process the sort of everyday structural obstacles women and mothers find themselves up against. The film is based on the real-life experiences of lead actress Madina Akylbekova, who shines in a role effectively tailor-made for her.