XIII Forum of the young cinema Umut-2026: Third part of the National competition

Third part of the National competition, 06.03.2026, 14:00 - 15:50:

♦ «Open Road»/«Ачык жол» by Alisher Tariel uulu, Kyrgyzstan, 2025,15’, KTU Manas

Synopsis: Zhoomart, a determined but naive country boy, comes to the city to take classes to prepare for the ORT (National Testing) exam. His mother warns him to be careful, not to wander around the city, and to find his sister's new address and go see her. But the heady spirit of freedom in the capital pushes the curious Zhoomart to set out in search of adventure in the very center of the city.

♦ «Youth Promised Me So Much»/ «Жаштыктан күттүм ылгабай» by Azamat Satybaldiev, Kyrgyzstan, 2025, 14'58, KTU Manas

Synopsis.

"Youth promised me so much" is a story about creative crisis, self-loss, and rediscovery. 35-year-old Bolot dreams of becoming a great screenwriter, but he’s stuck in a creative rut. With only three days left to submit a screenplay, he finds himself paralyzed by doubt and fear every time he sits down to write. 

♦ «My Darling»/«Садаган Кетейин» by Jetygen Kyrmanchiev, Kyrgyzstan, 2025, 11'35, AUCA

Laureate of XII Umut Pitch-2025

Synopsis.

A young man visits his grandmother in her village to say he’s going abroad. Torn by shame and guilt, he cannot tell her he won’t return. When she falls, he learns of her fragile health. On the day of departure, he lies, promising they will meet again, leaving their farewell unspoken as their last moment together.

♦ «Balyk»/«Балык» by Tolomush Janybekov, Kyrgyzstan-France, 2025, 12'52

Synopsis:

Bek is 17 years old and lives with his uncle in a dorm in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. His lonely daily life is marked by school and his job at the market, where he watches his uncle flirt with a local shop assistant every day. But after yet another humiliation during a school trip, he returns home overcome with emotions he can no longer control.

♦ “Father’s Daughter”/"Атасынын кызы" by Ainuska Asanbekova, Kyrgyzstan, 2025, 10’51, KTU Manas

Synopsis. 

Seyil is a sensitive little girl with a delicate inner world. In her childhood, she was very close to her father. The days they spent together, the warmth they shared, still live on in her heart as unforgettable memories. But life circumstances drove them apart, and their relationship grew cold. Now her father is almost absent from her life. On Seyil’s birthday, a pink bicycle unexpectedly appears at the doorstep. Although she doesn’t know who gave it to her, she feels in her heart that it came from her father. This gift is not just a toy — it’s a sign of the most cherished memory connected to her father, a symbol of the hidden bond in her heart that begins to come alive again. Her longing and yearning for her father grow stronger. Now, Seyil wants to reconnect with him: she wants to invite her father to her birthday.