DIRECTOR: AKTAN ARYM KUBAT
KYRGYZSTAN, 2010
When a small village in remote southern Kyrgyzstan is targeted by a greedy development scheme and impending Chinese domination, somebody has to stand up. Director-star Kubat plays the highly affable Svet-ake, a.k.a. “Mr. Light,” who makes his living ingeniously illuminating homes and businesses in the community. In order for Svet-ake to realize his dreams of having a son (he already has four girls) and bringing affordable energy to his community (his vision is to harness wind power), he must thwart those who have more sinister moneymaking plans. Treating his characters with humanity and tenderness, Kubat fashions an entertaining portrait of an impoverished community and an insightful allegory about post-Soviet realities and the difficult path to democracy. (80 mins.)
This year’s Kyrgyzstanian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.