Director Yermek Tursunov Returns to Kazakhstan

Playwright and film director Yermek Tursunov, who left Kazakhstan in the spring, has returned home after several months abroad, Orda.kz reports.

Businessman Bulat Abilov announced the director’s return on Instagram:

Yermek returned from his brief personal exile, and we had the opportunity to meet and talk. We joke that the country is calm, so we discuss what’s unsettled,
Abilov wrote.

The world is going through turbulent times — crises, conflicts, and alarm bells everywhere. Every day brings new challenges. Against this backdrop, the contrast between us feels especially sharp, sometimes like a tense anticipation. It’s important to keep a clear mind and inner resilience. That’s what we talked about — not fears, but a mature perspective on what’s happening. But the main thing isn’t the news or worries. What matters is the people around you. I’m grateful for my friends — each one is a vibrant, strong, and talented person.

In May, Tursunov announced his departure from Kazakhstan, saying he had been “simply forced out.” In a farewell Facebook post, he wrote that he saw no other way out.

Tursunov rose to prominence after his 2009 film “Kelin”, which was shortlisted for an Oscar.

He later drew widespread attention for his 2014 open letter to the government, published by Forbes.kz shortly after the tenge’s devaluation, in which he sharply criticized official economic policies.

Original Author: Zarina Fayzulina