at Cannes 2010 - German Film

Directors’ Fortnight
Screening:
Saturday, 15 May, 11:00 h, Theatre Croisette
(press)
Saturday, 15 May, 19:30 h, Theatre Croisette
(premiere)
Sunday, 16 May, 22:00 h, Studio 13
Monday, 17 May, 11:30 h, Star 4
(market screening)
Monday, 17 May, 22:30 h, Cinéma les Arcades
Wednesday, 19 May, 10:00 h, Arcades 2
(market screening)
The main hero of the film is an electrician, the
last link in a huge energetic system. He becomes
the binding bridge between geopolitical prob -
lems of post-soviet society and common
people. The life of the common people often
has an independent trajectory. In spite of the
fact that the economic devastation of the
country hit the industrial workers more than
anyone else, they never stop loving, suffering,
being friends and enjoying life, in particular our
resilient electrician, who possesses a wonderful
and open heart, and brings not only an electric
light to the lives of the inhabitants of that small
city, but also the light of love, loyalty, life and
laughter. Everybody needs him: those who have
problems with electrical wiring, those who have
problems with marital interrelations, those who
have the power in that city, and those who are
just bored living. He manages to help everyone,
including an old and lonely pensioner, switching
things around so that the state ends up of owing
her money for her electricity! It is not a gloating
delight over the help less ness of politicians in the
face of eco nomic problems, it’s a light-asserting
power during social cataclysms.
The Light Thief
Genre Drama Category Feature Film Cinema Year of Production 2010 Director Aktan Arym Kubat
Screenplay Aktan Arym Kubat, Talip Ibraimov Director of Photography Khassan Kydyraliyev Editor
Petar Markovic Music by Andre Matthias Production Design Talgat Asyrankulov Producers Thanassis
Karathanos, Karl Baumgartner, Cedomir Kolar, Altynai Koichumanova, Marc Baschet, Denis Vaslin
Production Companies Pallas Film/Halle, A.S.A.P. Films/Paris, Oy Art/Bishkek, Volya Films/Rotterdam,
in co-production with ZDF/Mainz, ARTE/Strasbourg Principal Cast Aktan Arym Kubat, Taalaikan Abazova,
Askat Sulaimanov, Asan Amanov, Stanbek Toichubaev Length 80 min Format 35 mm, color, 1:1.85
Original Version Kyrgyz Subtitled Version English Sound Technology Dolby Digital Festival
Screenings Cannes 2010 (Directors’ Fortnight) With backing from Mitteldeutsche Medienfoerderung,
Fonds Sud Cinéma, World Cinema Fund, Hubert Bals Fund, The Netherlands Film Fund
Aktan Arym Kubat was born in 1957 in Kyrgyzstan and started working as a production designer in the
1980s. He wrote his first screenplay in 1995 and began directing in 1992. His films include: Where’s Your
Home, Snail (1992), Bus Stop (short, 1995), Hassan Hussen (short, 1997), The Adopted Son
(1998), The Chimp (2001), The Mother’s Heaven (2009), and The Light Thief (2010).
World Sales The Match Factory GmbH · Michael Weber
Balthasarstrasse 79-81 · 50670 Cologne/Germany
phone +49-2 21-5 39 70 90 · fax +49-2 21-5 39 70 910
email: info@matchfactory.de · www.the-match-factory.com
In Cannes Résidence ‘La Bagatelle’/4 th Floor
25 Boulevard de la Croisette
phone +33-(0)4-97 06 56 89 · fax +33-(0)4-97 06 56 84
10 directors’ fortnight