DIRECTOR: Aktan Arym Kubat
STARRING: Nargiza Mamatkulova, Mirlan Abdykalykov, Aigul Busurmankulova
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 33 minutes
LANGUAGE: Kyrgyz
PLOT: The ancient craft of carpet weaving in Kyrgyzstan carries a legacy as rich and intricate as the patterns themselves, deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. Turdugul, celebrated as the most gifted weaver in the valleys, had spent years perfecting her art in quiet solitude. Then came Kadyr, a gentle horse herder whose arrival stirred something long dormant within her — a tender, late-blooming romance that ended without words, leaving behind only an unfinished carpet. Years later, when that same carpet, streaked in black, red, and yellow, was unfurled at his funeral, its threads seemed to breathe again, awakening the memories she had so carefully tucked away in her heart.
GENRE: Drama
FILMING LOCATION: Batken Region, Kyrgyzstan
To check out all previous submissions for Kyrgyzstan, click HERE.
STARRING: Nargiza Mamatkulova, Mirlan Abdykalykov, Aigul Busurmankulova
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 33 minutes
LANGUAGE: Kyrgyz
PLOT: The ancient craft of carpet weaving in Kyrgyzstan carries a legacy as rich and intricate as the patterns themselves, deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. Turdugul, celebrated as the most gifted weaver in the valleys, had spent years perfecting her art in quiet solitude. Then came Kadyr, a gentle horse herder whose arrival stirred something long dormant within her — a tender, late-blooming romance that ended without words, leaving behind only an unfinished carpet. Years later, when that same carpet, streaked in black, red, and yellow, was unfurled at his funeral, its threads seemed to breathe again, awakening the memories she had so carefully tucked away in her heart.
GENRE: Drama
FILMING LOCATION: Batken Region, Kyrgyzstan
To check out all previous submissions for Kyrgyzstan, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“I wish the Almighty had given me happiness instead of talent."
Set against the breathtaking yet unforgiving landscapes of the Batken region, Black Red Yellow is a film that captures the soul of Kyrgyz life through the delicate threads of art, memory, and love. Aktan Arym Kubat, known for his tender portrayals of rural existence, crafts a deeply human story about Turdugul, a master carpet weaver whose life unfolds as quietly and intricately as her work. Through the rhythm of her loom and the silence of her solitude, Kubat paints a portrait of a woman bound to her land and her craft, a keeper of stories, history, and emotion woven into every fiber. The film’s palette, dominated by earthy tones and natural light, mirrors the woven patterns themselves, evoking a timeless beauty that speaks more through images than through words.
Kubat’s direction is at once restrained and lyrical. He employs stillness and silence as narrative tools, allowing the viewer to feel the texture of time. When Kadyr, a humble horse herder, enters Turdugul’s world, the tone of the film softens into quiet intimacy. Their connection, simple, hesitant, and profound, blossoms within the vast emptiness of the Kyrgyz steppe. Yet, as with many of Kubat’s films, love here is not destined to last. The inevitable separation between Turdugul and Kadyr is handled with heartbreaking subtlety: there are no confessions, no dramatic farewells, only the silent presence of an unfinished carpet left behind.
Black Red Yellow stands as a cinematic tapestry. Each frame feels handwoven, full of deliberate imperfections, vibrant textures, and the rhythm of manual labor. Kubat’s use of color, particularly the titular black, red, and yellow, carries symbolic resonance, representing loss, passion, and remembrance. The sound design, minimal yet immersive, echoes the hum of daily life: the shuffle of hooves, the creak of wooden frames, the steady beat of hands at the loom. Through these details, the film achieves a kind of transcendence, where craftsmanship becomes a language of emotion.
Black Red Yellow is about the endurance of memory and the unspoken ways love continues to exist after loss. The carpet, completed only in death, becomes a metaphor for life’s unfinished patterns, the connections we start but never see to the end. Kubat’s film reminds us that human experience, much like weaving, is an act of patience, repetition, and devotion. Each thread, no matter how small, holds the weight of a lifetime. In the end, Black Red Yellow is not just about what is made by hand, but what is held in the heart, an elegy for love, time, and the quiet strength of those who carry both.
(This review contains spoilers.)
“I wish the Almighty had given me happiness instead of talent."
Set against the breathtaking yet unforgiving landscapes of the Batken region, Black Red Yellow is a film that captures the soul of Kyrgyz life through the delicate threads of art, memory, and love. Aktan Arym Kubat, known for his tender portrayals of rural existence, crafts a deeply human story about Turdugul, a master carpet weaver whose life unfolds as quietly and intricately as her work. Through the rhythm of her loom and the silence of her solitude, Kubat paints a portrait of a woman bound to her land and her craft, a keeper of stories, history, and emotion woven into every fiber. The film’s palette, dominated by earthy tones and natural light, mirrors the woven patterns themselves, evoking a timeless beauty that speaks more through images than through words.
Kubat’s direction is at once restrained and lyrical. He employs stillness and silence as narrative tools, allowing the viewer to feel the texture of time. When Kadyr, a humble horse herder, enters Turdugul’s world, the tone of the film softens into quiet intimacy. Their connection, simple, hesitant, and profound, blossoms within the vast emptiness of the Kyrgyz steppe. Yet, as with many of Kubat’s films, love here is not destined to last. The inevitable separation between Turdugul and Kadyr is handled with heartbreaking subtlety: there are no confessions, no dramatic farewells, only the silent presence of an unfinished carpet left behind.
Black Red Yellow stands as a cinematic tapestry. Each frame feels handwoven, full of deliberate imperfections, vibrant textures, and the rhythm of manual labor. Kubat’s use of color, particularly the titular black, red, and yellow, carries symbolic resonance, representing loss, passion, and remembrance. The sound design, minimal yet immersive, echoes the hum of daily life: the shuffle of hooves, the creak of wooden frames, the steady beat of hands at the loom. Through these details, the film achieves a kind of transcendence, where craftsmanship becomes a language of emotion.
Black Red Yellow is about the endurance of memory and the unspoken ways love continues to exist after loss. The carpet, completed only in death, becomes a metaphor for life’s unfinished patterns, the connections we start but never see to the end. Kubat’s film reminds us that human experience, much like weaving, is an act of patience, repetition, and devotion. Each thread, no matter how small, holds the weight of a lifetime. In the end, Black Red Yellow is not just about what is made by hand, but what is held in the heart, an elegy for love, time, and the quiet strength of those who carry both.
