Directed by: Aminatou Echard
Runtime: 84 minutes
Country: France, Kyrgyzstan
Language: Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Russian, English, French with English subtitles
Rating: PG

In Chingiz Aitmatov’s 1958 novel, the eponymous heroine Djamilia defies her forced marriage and elopes with her lover, thus becoming part of Kygyz literary lore, both reviled and celebrated for her transgression of social mores. Aminatou Echard’s diaristic documentary strings together interviews of various Kygyz women as they speak freely of their own lives and relationships, each conjuring a version of Djamilia before us. Shot on Super 8mm film, a format most closely associated with home movies, an atmosphere of warmth is created that underscores an intimate portrait of female desire and strength.

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Djamilia will be available for rent via Vimeo On Demand at USD$3.50 from 19 June to 16 July 2020. Please click on the “Book Now” button which will redirect you to Vimeo. Upon purchase, the film will be available to you for 48 hours. 

Due to the closure of cinemas following the COVID-19 pandemic, Whose House Is This? : New Cinema of Central Asia is the first programme from the Asian Film Archive that will be presented entirely online, as part of the newly-launched series “Rewired”. 

* The programme line-up is correct at the time of publishing. Any changes will be updated and reflected.
* All prices are in US Dollars.
* Films are region-restricted and limited to Singapore IP addresses.