Karlag, Samruk, and Tengrida: Kazakhstan’s Fantasy Cinematic Universe Debuts at Comic Con Astana

Central Asia’s biggest geek and pop culture event, Comic Con Astana, drew over 75,000 fans of comics, manga, anime, Asian pop, fantasy, and video games over five days. On the festival’s final day, the winners of the professional cosplay competition were announced, with a prize pool of 15 million tenge, Orda.kz reports.

A Meeting of Worlds and Universes

For five days, two major sports complexes in Astana — the Astana Arena and Barys Arena — were transformed into a vibrant mix of bold ideas, creative energy, and dazzling colors. Families, groups, and entire fandoms from 36 countries — including the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, China, South Korea, Türkiye, and Thailand — as well as from across Kazakhstan, converged on the capital. It was a true celebration of fantasy, sci-fi, comics, and gaming, reminiscent of how many first encountered fandom through J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien’s fans were there too, donning elven cloaks, dwarven chainmail, and hobbit feet. But Comic Con is a place where entire worlds collide.

Here, Dottore from Genshin Impact treats Jinx from Arcane to a latte. Minions hang out with Imperial stormtroopers. Squads dressed in the uniforms of fictional armies dance K-pop with sparkly elves and shaggy clones of Rick Sanchez.

To outsiders, Comic Con might seem like organized chaos, filled with outlandish costumes. But it’s actually meticulously planned. Inside Astana Arena, there were activity zones, an Artists’ Alley featuring work from more than 150 Kazakhstani artists and crafters, a vendor fair, and food courts. Festival veterans came armed with knowledge — navigating the map, collecting badges and posters, buying indie comics and stickers, taking part in workshops, and meeting fellow fans.

Meanwhile, the main stage at Barys Arena hosted meet-and-greets with popular bloggers, creators from games, films, anime, and the festival’s headlining stars.

Three major international guests lit up the event:

• Esai Morales — Hollywood actor with four decades of experience, known for Ozark, Titans, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and La Bamba.
• Scott Adkins — Martial artist and actor famous for playing Yuri Boyka in Undisputed, and appearing in John Wick 4, Doctor Strange, and Ip Man 4.
• Andy Serkis — British actor and motion capture pioneer, renowned for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Caesar in Planet of the Apes, King Kong, and Alfred in The Batman.
   

Cinema in and About Kazakhstan

These stars met with fans, answered questions at press conferences, and offered insights into their craft. Naturally, they were also asked about the Kazakh film industry, and what kind of roles they’d take on if filming here.

Scott Adkins expressed admiration for the young Kazakh filmmakers he met at Comic Con Astana, saying he’d be glad to return to Kazakhstan and take part in a local production. He noted the deep respect Kazakh people have for their historical heritage and said he’d be honored to act in a Kazakh film if given the opportunity.

Esai Morales described Astana as a visually modern city with hidden layers, calling it an ideal setting for a spy film. He noted that the city features shapes and colors unfamiliar to the West and offers much to explore. If he were to shoot a film there, he said it would center on a wanderer — a stranger navigating an unfamiliar environment and forming new connections.

Morales imagined it as a spy story where identities are unclear, suggesting that Astana, with its blend of European and Asian influences, would be a perfect backdrop for a romantic spy comedy.

Most audience questions were for Andy Serkis. At a press conference, he was gifted a set of illustrations inspired by Kazakh mythology — including Kozy Korpesh and Bayan-Sulu, the bird Samruk, the dragon Aydakhar, Zheztyrnak, and Aldar-Kose.

Andy Serkis said that the stories he had seen were powerful and ready to be brought to the screen. He noted they were rich in emotion and meaning, exactly the kind of narratives he's looking for as a director and cinematographer.

He also remarked that Kazakhstan’s diverse landscapes — including steppe, forests, and mountains — made it an ideal setting for filmmaking.

He shared that a visit to the National Museum with his wife left them deeply moved by the strength and beauty of the stories from Kazakhstan’s many ethnic groups.

Serkis emphasized that the strength of any compelling fantasy lies in the truth at its core. He expressed admiration for the authenticity and depth of Kazakhstan’s folklore, noting that its ancient, diverse stories could serve as the foundation for a fantasy universe that resonates widely.

However, he stressed the importance of thoroughly exploring the legends and myths that have been preserved by the local people.

The Icy Wind of a Terrible Time

One of the most significant moments for Kazakh cinema at the festival was the presentation of The Truce (La Tregua) — the first Kazakh-Spanish co-production set to appear on Netflix.

Directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas — known for Money Heist, Extinction, and Inside — the film features Spanish actors Miguel Herrán (Money Heist) and Aron Piper (Elite), alongside Kazakh stars Dina Tasbulatova, Sergey Ufimtsev, Altynay Nogerbek, and Farabi Akkozov.

The story takes place in Kazakhstan between 1937 and 1945, inside the Karlag labor camp — one of Stalin’s most infamous gulags. Prisoners were sent there not just for crimes, but for expressing independent thought.

The plot centers on two Spaniards caught on opposing sides of their civil war, and a Kazakh intellectual struggling to preserve humanity amid brutal conditions.

It’s a story of resilience, freedom, suffering, and the people who came to see Kazakhstan as a second home.

Executive producer Emilio A. Pina, known for producing more than 20 series and organizing the Goya Awards, explained that the film’s production had been postponed due to the pandemic and the unrest in Kazakhstan in January 2022. He also expressed interest in collaborating with Kazakh production teams on future projects.

Director Miguel Ángel Vivas described the history of Karlag as a universally significant tragedy, not only for Kazakhstan but for humanity as a whole. He saw it as a story that speaks to pain, loss, hope, and resilience, and emphasized the importance of sharing it with the wider world.

The film is currently in post-production and will be dubbed in Russian and Kazakh. It’s set to premiere in late 2025 and will screen out of competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in September.

Sirens, Goblins, Angels, and Demons

The cosplay competition remains Comic Con Astana’s most anticipated event. This year, it drew 200 participants and a prize pool of 15 million tenge.

Solo artists and teams came from 10 countries — Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, the USA, Thailand, and Uzbekistan — bringing to life characters from comics, films, anime, manga, and video games.

This year, the Grand Prix of the cosplay competition stayed in Astana. The title of "Champion of the Arena: Comic Con Astana 2025" and a prize of 3.8 million tenge went to local cosplayer Emilia Trotsenko. Performing under the nickname GRAFOMANKA, she brought to life Naga Siren from Dota 2.

After the ceremony, Emilia shared the story behind her costume. She often cosplays characters from Dota 2 and is drawn to Japanese themes.

Of course, I could’ve picked another character with an Asian aesthetic, but I prefer a challenge,” she said. “It was interesting to create a character with no legs (Naga Siren looks like a mermaid–Ed.). That’s how I got the idea to perform on a hoverboard. It worked out, even though there was barely any time left to rehearse. Making the costume took longer than expected — nearly five months.

Winners and Awards

• First place and 1.9 million tenge went to a cosplayer from St. Petersburg, Russia, performing as Baroness Draka from World of Warcraft under the nickname Brykus.
• Second place (1.3 million tenge) was awarded to Astana-based Gol.D.Moon, who portrayed Legion Commander from Dota 2.
• Third place (1 million tenge) went to VladizArt from Qaraganda for the character Astrid Hofferson from How to Train Your Dragon.

Among the special awards was the title “Living Legend of Comic Con Astana 2025”. This honor went to a cosplay that captivated both on and off stage — a showstopping character that had fans turning heads, cheering, and lining up for photos.

This year, the "Living Legend" was Tengrida, an original Kazakh-style character created by Almaty-based cosplayer Aruzhan Zhunussova (nickname: Aruvibez).

At first, I thought about creating an Asian-inspired look, something Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. But then I realized, why look elsewhere when I have my own roots to draw from? That’s when the idea came to blend Kazakh ethnic style with elements of futurism — something mythical and forward-looking. I based it on Kazakh epics, mythology, and Tengrianism. My costume is full of ornaments, each with its own meaning. Even my hat doubles as a shield, and it features the shanyrak symbol.

Aruzhan named her character Tengrida — a powerful warrior goddess, equal to Tengri, protector of the hearth and home. Tengrida also performs a fierce battle dance.

I’m a choreographer, and I’ve studied national dance since childhood. These days I focus on modern styles, but my roots called to me. I wanted to perform something true to where I started.

Additional category prizes ranged from 500,000 to 800,000 tenge. Awards were given for an epic dress or costume that captured the elegance and grandeur of Rivendell (the “Elven Tailor” nomination), for makeup, prosthetics, and acting that brought true transformation to life (the “Master of Transfiguration” nomination), and for outstanding family cosplay performances (the “Incredibles” nomination).

Other honors included recognition for bringing 2D animated characters into the 3D world, for complex engineering designs, for dedication to canonical accuracy, for crafting the best weapons and armor, and for various other achievements.

Comic Con Astana 2025 broke records. Unique visitors topped 75,000, with more than 120,000 total visits — a major jump from last year’s 50,000 guests. The cosplay prize fund also increased from 12 to 15 million tenge.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya