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22 October 2021TİKA Supports the National Film Studio in Kyrgyzstan
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) implemented a project for the National Film Studio of Kyrgyzstan to digitize its movie archive.
The modern digital equipment installed by TİKA in the “Kyrgyzfilm” National Film Studio, named after Tolomush Okeyev, the first Kyrgyz Ambassador to Turkey and a famous movie director, was delivered with a ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by Ahmet Sadık Doğan, Turkey’s Ambassador to Bishkek; Azamat Jamankulov, Minister of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan; Dr. Ümit Naci Yorulmaz, Vice President of TİKA; Akjol Bekbolotov, Director of the Kyrgyzfilm National Film Studio; and Muktaly Bektenaliyev, Director of the Department of Cinematography.
Metin Gündoğdu, AKP’s MP for Ordu; Kemal Uysal, Deputy Director General of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey; Öner Kılıç, movie director; and Nisa Sofia Aksungur, a child actress starring in “Miracle in Cell No. 7,” who visited Kyrgyzstan to attend the events held on the occasion of the 5th Turkish Film Week in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, also attended the ceremony.
In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Doğan stated that TİKA launched a project to digitalize Kyrgyz movie archives, and said, “A country’s memory is the key to its sovereignty. Therefore, I hope this project will be useful and bring good luck to the people of Kyrgyzstan.” Doğan noted that TİKA has implemented major projects since the independence of Kyrgyzstan. He added, “Our grandchildren will learn about the lives of their ancestors. Turkey will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Kyrgyzstan.”
“TİKA Has Implemented More Than 900 Projects in Kyrgyzstan”
Dr. Ümit Naci Yorulmaz, Vice President of TİKA, stated that TİKA has implemented more than 900 projects in Kyrgyzstan in the fields of education, health, agriculture, contribution to cultural life, development of public administrative units, and social projects since the opening of its office in 1993. Yorulmaz noted that they gathered in the Kyrgyzfilm National Film Studio for the opening ceremony of TİKA’s “Project for Digitalization of Important Documents and Works,” which aimed to digitalize Kyrgyzstan’s 100-year-old archives and preserve it for future generations. Yorulmaz added that the digitalized archives would also be shared with the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and the Media Manas Center at Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University (KTMU) to reach a wider audience.
“We can now watch our old movies digitally.”
Azamat Jamankulov, Minister of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan, stated that he was happy about the project implemented by TİKA. He said, “This is a historical day because a very important project has been implemented. Now, we can watch our old movies digitally and make them available in the highest quality.” Jamankulov noted that TİKA was one of the most active institutions in Kyrgyzstan, and thanked Osman Usta, TİKA’s Bishkek Coordinator, who implemented the project.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the participants received a briefing in the room where the digitalization device (Blackmagic Design Cintel Scanner) was installed. Akjol Bekbolotov, Director of the Kyrgyzfilm National Film Studio, told reporters that their archives contained more than 900 works including documentaries, official ceremonies, and various events filmed from 1941 to 1998. He said, “This is the wealth of our people. We could not digitalize our archives due to budget constraints. Thanks to TİKA, we will make these archives available to the public.”
