March 3, 2026
Almaty, Kazakhstan
On 1 October 2025, the third Eurasian Film Market (EFM) — the largest independent professional platform in Central Asia for representatives of the film and television industry — concluded. The forum traditionally brings together content producers and buyers, cinema chains, online platforms, service companies and institutions from the CIS countries, as well as from near and far abroad.
As is customary, the French film festival Avant Premières was held within the framework of the market, presenting films that had not previously been released theatrically in Central Asia. The French Film Festival was organised with the support of the Embassy of France, the CNC and Unifrance. H.E. Mr Sylvain Guiaugue, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Kazakhstan, took part in the opening ceremony of both the film market and the festival. The French Film Festival opened with the documentary François Truffaut: The Screenplay of My Life, telling the story of the director’s life and revealing him as a cult auteur of the French New Wave. The film was presented by director David Teboul, who held a Q&A session with the audience after the screening. The programme also featured Jane Austen Ruined My Life directed by Laura Piani and Jim’s Novel directed by Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu.
The film market opened with a panel discussion entitled “Foreign and National Films: Acquisition and Programming Strategies in Central Asia and the CIS”. The speakers were: Baurzhan Shukenov, Chairman of the Expert Council at the Centre for Support of National Cinema of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who spoke about the state of Kazakhstan’s film industry as of 2025; Laurent Molinaro, art advisor and content buyer for the French media holding M6 (France); Dmitry Kirienko, Head of the Chaplin Cinema chain; TV+ Content Manager Madina Nurazkhanova; Boris Sobko and Regina Babina representing the Yubileiny Cinema in Ust-Kamenogorsk; and Yulia Fateeva, Commercial Director of Capella Film.
The participants noted the high potential for the development of the media markets of Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, the growing audience consuming content in native languages, including genre and thematic specifics, the need for a differentiated approach and segmentation in offering Central Asian content to foreign channels, with an emphasis on auteur cinema, as well as the necessity of expanding marketing support for films and the importance of transparent rules of engagement for cooperation between foreign distributors, including Russian and European companies, and Central Asian cinema chains.
On the first day of the market, presentations were held by companies working in local cinema, including Tolqyn Film Fund and Ascar Cinema. Ernar Kurmashev, film producer and CEO, one of the initiators of Tolqyn Film Fund established under the management of Dasco Capital, introduced the project to attendees. The investment fund provides opportunities for venture investment in cinema in both Kazakhstan and other countries. 30% of planned investments are allocated to co-production. The fund’s objective is to work with commercial content in order to generate profits both from theatrical release and secondary sales. Kurmashev separately highlighted the potential of Kazakhstan’s film industry: cinema distribution in the Republic continues to grow even in the post-pandemic period (while the global box office showed a slight decline in 2024).
The next presentation was delivered by representatives of Ascar Cinema — company head Maksim Kolodkin and producer Sanat Shapashov. Their project, BAQYT QUSHAGYNDA, is the first jukebox musical in the Kazakh language, which, according to Maksim’s expectations, is set to perform very strongly at the box office already in October this year. The film is based on the works of Kazakh composer Shamshi Kaldayakov and will feature 12 of his tracks. The producer emphasised that the film was shot entirely in Astana and invited industry representatives to consider the city’s potential as a filming location. Sanat promised participation in numerous film festivals, including in Paris. The film will be released with Russian and English subtitles.
Another presentation on the first day was devoted to the new wave of Kazakh cinema within the programme “New Kazakh Cinema”. This year the forum organisers decided to place emphasis on animated content, presenting six animated films.
The Idea Cinema block includes three releases — among them the fantasy feature ZHEL AYAQ, released in May this year. The other two projects are the historical series Shokan. Journey to Kashgaria and the sci-fi project Cyber Defence. The latter is scheduled for release in November 2025.
Two projects aimed at the youngest audiences — Künshikter and Bes Täy-Täy — were presented by Tasqyn Studio. These are second seasons of series already beloved by viewers. It is worth noting that, judging by the showreel presented, the studio’s slate also includes animation aimed at teenage audiences.
The final project of the presentation was the animated film Maqta qyz from ARA Studios. The story of a friendship between a girl and a kitten is another release aimed at the pre-school segment. According to the forum organisers, such content is currently in the highest demand among audiences, including in the regions of Kazakhstan.
This year the #SEARCH programme was traditionally implemented, aimed at promoting Central Asian film projects and expanding their presence in the international market. The programme became a significant element of the business agenda for presenting regional content to market participants.
Within the framework of #SEARCH, more than 70 feature fiction and animated films, as well as series created by filmmakers from Central Asian countries, were presented. The selection covered a wide range of genres and formats, demonstrating the diversity of themes, artistic approaches and production solutions characteristic of contemporary cinema in the region.
Central Asian cinema continues to strengthen its position in the international industry. Projects from the region generate steady interest not only among local exhibitors and distributors, but also among foreign sales agents, festival selectors and professional participants of the global market. Authentic storytelling, cultural identity and a unique artistic language are becoming key competitive factors of the works presented.
The growing interest from both audiences and the professional community confirms the relevance and demand for content created in Central Asia. The #SEARCH programme once again demonstrated the high potential of the regional film industry and its readiness for active international cooperation.
The Pitch Elevator programme combined offerings in several areas: content, technologies and services. This format was positively received by both experts and participants, who noted the importance of its continuation. Sellers briefly introduced or reminded the audience about themselves, while buyers were able to receive information about products and update partner contacts.
The session was opened by Inna Kazakova, Head of Repertoire Planning at MTD Media. The company is based in Tatarstan and entered the Russian market, and subsequently the EAEU and CIS markets, ten years ago as an engineering group, supplier and installer of cinema equipment. However, it rapidly expanded its business areas, creating its own cinema chain, where the MTD Media team carries out repertoire planning, i.e. cinema booking, marketing including remote marketing, and provides services such as “remote projectionist” and equipment monitoring. The distribution division is also actively developing. At EFM, the feature animation Tugan Batyr, produced in the Republic of Tatarstan, and the joint release with Bashkir company Askarfilm, Summer. City. Love, a series of romantic novellas of different genres, were presented to Kazakh and foreign buyers.
Ilvis Razumov, head of Numen Animation Studio (Kazakhstan), presented the completed series for the international market Djerard & Toffie, the first “mischievous” series for the 0+ audience, without a language barrier and with significant international potential. The team has also launched the series Monster & Monster, developed with Pavel Muntyan, and is currently seeking co-production partners.
The content block concluded with a presentation by Dmitry Klevakin, Head of Theatrical Distribution at Cinemaus Studio. The distributor regularly releases Kazakh-produced films across the CIS.
The next block was devoted to cinema exhibition technologies. It was opened by Anatoly Chernikov, head of ProCinema / Merlin, who began with a recently implemented case. On 12 September, an eight-screen cinema equipped with the latest generation Barco and Dolby equipment was launched in Atyrau (Kazakhstan). Of 300 service installations of the Appotronics ALPD Cinema system, more than 200 in EAEU countries were carried out by ProCinema / Merlin. Particular attention was given to GDC servers and the Chinese projection system CINITY LED with 4K, 3D and high frame rate technologies, which is conquering the global market. CINITY LED has already hosted world premieres of such Russian blockbusters as The Challenge and Red Silk.
The technology session continued with Maksim Medvedev, representative of the German brand Osram (a multinational company in lighting and energy efficiency) in Kazakhstan. To this day, alongside digital projectors, hundreds of thousands of lamp-based cinema projectors are used worldwide; as in music or cinema, analogue solutions remain within the mass exhibition system. Anna Vostretsova, Business Development Manager at Christie, reminded attendees that the corporation’s history spans almost 100 years; it continues to produce the full range of cinema projectors from lamp to RGB laser and remains an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival, underlining the brand’s leading position.
The second day of Eurasian Film Market 2025 opened with a discussion dedicated to streaming marketing. Representatives of several platforms from Kazakhstan and the CIS took part. Speakers included Viktoriya Koppel, Marketing Director of the online cinema Unico Play (Kazakhstan); Bekzat Kaldygalieva, Director of Content Acquisition and Dubbing at Freedom Media (Kazakhstan); Asel Umarova, Development Director of Etnomedia (Kyrgyzstan); and Pavel Finkelshtein, Authorised Representative of Kazakhtelecom for content. Participants discussed the audience profile today and in the future, original content production as a growth driver, and vertical series. Experts also stressed that high-quality dubbing into national languages is an important factor in audience growth.
Technologies and solutions for cinema exhibition were presented by Barco / Bihas and Trapeza.
Olga Trifonova, Deputy General Director of Bihas LLP, the official representative of Barco in Central Asia, began her presentation with an overview of new market trends and cinema audience demands. She spoke about new equipment developed by Barco in response to current market needs: the Barco HDR premium projector line, including HDR equipment and post-production software, the new Barco mFusion media processor with built-in immersive audio processor and the Barco Smart Amplifier, as well as updates to the world’s best-selling laser projector line — Barco Series 4.
The largest trade and engineering enterprise Trapeza has been on the market for 35 years. Today, Trapeza is a trading company with 27 representative offices in Russia, the CIS and the EAEU, factories producing food equipment, semi-finished and ready-made products for concession and fun food, consumables, a factory producing retail furniture, service centres and comprehensive training centres for cinema bar staff.
Svetlana Skakun, Head of the Marketing Sector of the Cinema Concessions Department, focused on cinema menu solutions for such family and box-office Russian and international releases as Alice in Wonderland, Finnick 2, Gorynych Burns!, Now You See Me 3, Three Bogatyrs and the World Narrows to a Point, Buratino, Cheburashka 2 and Prostokvashino.
Within the framework of the forum, presentations dedicated to the film industries of India and China were held, with participation from NFDC, Film Bazaar and Gemini Sky.
Kanika Katyal, programmer of an international film festival in India and representative of NFDC, spoke about the specifics of her country’s film industry and the structure of the National Film Development Corporation. In India, approximately 3,500 films have been produced over the past two years, with industry revenues exceeding $2.1 billion. The country has concluded 17 co-production agreements, including with China and Russia. NFDC’s key areas of work are production (and distribution), promotion and preservation. The corporation is a state body.
The presentation dedicated to China was delivered by Xuan Guo, representative of Gemini Sky Film, producer and distributor. According to him, over the past five years China’s total box office has grown on average by 20% annually. The country has 15,000 cinemas with 80,000 screens. The share of local projects in 2024 amounted to around 80%. More than half of the national box office is collected by the five largest cinema chains.
The final event of the EFM business programme was a round table dedicated to co-production. The session was moderated by David Tuganov, an expert in digital transformation, change management and innovation implementation, founder of the Creative Industries Alliance of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Participants included Oksana Frolova, Deputy General Director of Roskino; Kseniya Pushkina, General Director of ANO Creative Studio Stella; Alexey Telnov, General Director of Lendoc Film Studio; producer Anna Chakirova of Taurus Production; Laura Sabanbaeva, International Promotion Manager at Salem Entertainment; Olga Khlashcheva, Head of the International Department at Kazakhfilm; producer and distributor Xuan Guo of Gemini Sky Film; NFDC programmer Kanika Katyal; and Maksim Ostry, Editor-in-Chief of Film Distributor’s Bulletin. Particular emphasis in the discussion was placed on the marketing of co-produced projects.
Between 2023 and 2025, EFM attracted more than 200 companies from the film and media industries. Exhibitors and participants included distributors and content producers, exhibitors, suppliers of services and equipment for film production and exhibition, and representatives of international film funds: the State Centre for Support of National Cinema, Tiger Films, CNC, Unifrance, Digital District, Meloman, Trapeza, German Films, Megogo, Asana Film, Bihas, Barco, Kinologistika, Unico Play, Salem Entertainment, Dear Silence, TV+, Cinemax, MK2, Kinoplan, Asia Cinema, Sakhafilm, Etnomedia, Exponenta, Top Cinema, UNESCO, Cinecittà, Christie, Prebook, Capella Film and others. The special #SERACH programme presented more than 350 new films from Central Asia to potential buyers and festival selectors.
Partners and sponsors of EFM-2025 included: Visit Almaty Tourism Bureau, the Embassy of France in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arman Cinema, Novotel Almaty City Center and Alma Almaty hotels, the Creative Industries Alliance of Kazakhstan, Russian Film Business market, the Association of Restaurateurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakh Incoming travel agency, Harkness Screens, Bihas (official representative of Barco in Central Asia), Megogo, Etnomedia, Khabar Agency JSC, Almaty.tv, Astana TV, Channel 31, Eurasia 24, Tribune online publication, WeProject media outlet, Creative Asia, Gorod 24, Dostyk, Freedom Ticketon, Film Distributor’s Bulletin, KinoBusiness Today, Cinemaplex, Turan University, Almaty Management University and others.
Exhibitors and participants of EFM-2025 included: Ascar Cinema, Tolqyn Film Fund, Bihas (official representative of Barco in Central Asia), TV+, Freedom Media, Unico, Trapeza, Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) (representing leading film production and distribution companies), Chaplin Cinemas, NFDC (India), MTD Media, Husks Productions (USA), Gemini Sky (China), M6 (France), Megogo, Cinemaxx, Capella Film, Etnomedia, Kinoplan, OSRAM GmbH Representative Office in Kazakhstan, Christie Digital, MERLIN, Cinemaus Studio and others.
Elena Larionova, Founder of Eurasian Film Market:
“Eurasian Film Market is a professional industry platform where regional projects gain real opportunities to reach international audiences, distributors and strategic partners. In 2025, we are broadening our horizons by strengthening our focus on acquisition strategies, international co-production and practical tools for accessing global markets for Central Asian cinema.”
Kunzhan Ormanbetova, Executive Director of EFM, Curator of the #SERACH programme:
“Interest in Central Asian cinema is growing. Through #SEARCH, we systematically present new regional films to global players, helping projects find partners, distribution routes and their audiences.”
Ekaterina Bordacheva, Co-founder and EFM Partner for Russia and Belarus:
“The markets of Kazakhstan and Central Asia are at a peak stage of development. In the information flow and conditions of a transforming film market, targeted communication and flexibility, which our event offers, are of particular importance.”
Eurasian Film Market (EFM) is an independent international film market in Central Asia held in Almaty (Kazakhstan). The platform brings together film and TV professionals from the CIS and around the world, facilitates the acquisition and sale of content rights, co-production, the promotion of national cinemas and the development of the regional film business. In 2023–2025, EFM gathered more than 200 companies, held dozens of presentations and special screenings of regional content, including within the framework of the #SEARCH programme. The film market is a space for dialogue: here representatives of Central Asian cinema chains discover new services, offerings and exclusive content, while it also serves as a discussion platform on current industry issues.
