In the center of the plot of the old Turkmen destan «Nejep oglan», which inspired director Vep Ishankuliyev to create a full-length film of the same name, is a young bakhshi and his miraculous, soul-healing game on the dutar.
– Mounting my previous picture, I already knew what I would work on further. I have long wanted to translate this particular destan on the big screen, since it contains a lot of folk music, poems, the very original language that our ancestors spoke. Therefore, I also chose the actor and musician, the great-grandson of the famous bakhshi Mylly aga Sokhbet Annamuradov,» says Vepa Ishankuliev.
The shooting took place in museums, historical and pilgrimage places of Turkmenistan, where the spirit of the XIV-XV centuries was still preserved. The film crew worked in Kunyaurgench, Dashoguz, Koytendag, Lebap. Keeping close to the reality of bygone days, the actors let go of real beards. All songs that sound in the movie, the audience will hear in the original performance.
When shooting, we used the latest technology, for example, an innovative movie camera with a resolution of 4K, which allows you to make the image bright and voluminous, and avoid the usual loss of detail and color saturation when scaling an image.
Vepa Ishankuliev admits that the most difficult stage for him when creating the film was the final part of the work – editing. When reviewing the footage, it often turns out that something important is missing, and the film crew is forced to shoot some scenes. Cinema is not a simple matter at all, and historical movies – especially.
«My duty is to know who my grandparents were, what their inner world was, and this is where I see the relevance of historical films today.» Such a movie raises questions of respect for the national heritage, preservation of secrets for descendants of playing the musical instrument beloved by the Turkmen people – dutar. The protagonist of the legend is endowed with a truly divine gift, and therefore this story is passed from mouth to mouth and from generation to generation,» says the director.
Today, the tradition of watching good movies in a movie theatre has not gone away. Can the screens of mobile phones or even TVs replace the magic of the appearance of images in the darkness of a huge hall. Cinema is also a bit of magic, it is also a meeting with friends with whom you can share the emotions experienced while watching a movie together.
Vepa Ishankuliev and the entire crew are inviting Ashgabat residents and guests to the premiere screening of the movie Nejep Oglan, which will be held at the Ashgabat cinema on December 23 at 17:00. Admission is free.
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