Aktan Abdykalykov

Aktan Abdykalykov
Aktan Abdykalykov
	Aktan Arym Kubat at press event in three-quarter profile, smiling Aktan Arym Kubat in 2022
Born	Aktan Abdykalykov; 26 March 1957 (age 69); Kirgiz SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Kyrgyz
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter, actor
Notable work	Beshkempir (1998), Maimyl/The Chimp (2001), The Light Thief (2010), Centaur (2017)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Aktan Abdykalykov, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 1 December 2025

Aktan Arym Kubat (; born March 26, 1957, in Sokuluk District, Kirghiz SSR), also known by his birth name Aktan Abdykalykov, is a prominent Kyrgyz filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor. He holds membership in the National Film Academy of Kyrgyzstan, is an active Member of the European Film Academy, and participates in the Asia Pacific Screen Academy.

Throughout his career, Kubat has received multiple prestigious accolades such as the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Festival, the Bronze Lion from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, several FIPRESCI Awards granted by the International Federation of Film Critics, and the Findling Award. His works have been showcased in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs sections, as well as in the Panorama category at the Berlin International Film Festival.

He is widely recognized for his films Beshkempir/The Adopted Son (1998), Maimyl/The Chimp (2001), The Light Thief (2010), and Centaur (2017).

In 2016, Kubat was distinguished among Asia’s leading directors. Notably, Beshkempir/The Adopted Son was included in the Busan International Film Festival’s list of the top 100 Asian films, a ranking based on input from 73 distinguished film experts.

Biography

Born in 1957, Kubat uncovered at age thirteen that his biological parents differed from those who raised him—a traditional practice in his region where infant boys were often given to childless couples. Growing up in the village of Kuntu, he developed a strong affinity for cinema, considering films as "portals to another world."

After completing his education at Dzhamgerchinov High School in 1974, he pursued studies in painting and technical drawing at Kyrgyz State Fine Arts College. In 1980, he further honed his craft under the mentorship of People's Artist Gapar Aitiev in Bishkek. Beginning in 1981, Kubat worked as a set decorator and production designer at Kyrgyzfilm before moving into directing.

His first directorial effort was the documentary The Dog was Running released in 1990, followed by his debut feature-length film Where is your home? in 1992. His second feature, The Swing, which semi-autobiographically depicts an eleven-year-old boy’s journey into adolescence, earned the Grand Prize for best short film at Locarno and received the FIPRESCI Prize at Torino Festival. This achievement led to a collaboration with French producer Cédomir Kolar.

In 1998, Kubat secured the Silver Leopard award at Locarno for Beshkempir/The Adopted Son, which also competed at Karlovy Vary. His 2001 production Maimyl/The Chimp was featured in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section and was nominated for the European Film Academy Discovery Award. Premiering at Cannes’ Director's Fortnight, The Light Thief collected several awards and was screened at major festivals including Toronto and Montreal. In 2017, Centaur premiered within Berlinale’s Panorama segment, receiving both the CICAE Award and Best Actor recognition at the Asian World Film Festival.

Kubat established his own studio named Beshkempir in 1998. Since 2004, he has served as founder and artistic director of Oy Art production company.

His son Mirlan Abdykalykov appeared as lead actor in Kubat’s autobiographical trilogy: The Swing, Beshkempir/The Adopted Son, and Maimyl/The Chimp. Kubat characterized these films as cinematic reflections of his personal life stages—from childhood into adulthood—addressing themes such as adoption and familial challenges.

In subsequent films like The Light Thief and Centaur, Kubat himself assumed principal acting roles.

Social work

Aktan Arym Kubat plays an active role in initiatives supporting the film industry. He contributed to the creation of the Target Program titled “Kyrgyzstan's Cinematography - 2010,” which aimed to enhance film education, production capabilities, technical resources, distribution channels, copyright protection, and the promotion of auteur cinema within Kyrgyzstan. Since 2005, as a founding figure of the Public Organization "Cinema Development Fund," he has been involved in various projects such as the “DVD-collection Kyrgyz Miracle” (focused on restoring and digitizing prominent Kyrgyz classic films), the "Art House Film Festival," workshops for film directors, and educational programs designed for film producers and arts managers.

Honors

Recipient of the Manas Order of the Second Degree (Kyrgyzstan)
Awarded the Toktogul State Prize (Kyrgyzstan)
Honored with the Youth Union Prize (Kyrgyzstan)

Filmography and awards (selected)

Year	Title	Role	Description	Accolades
1990	The Dog was Running	Co-director, co-writer	Documentary	Grand Prix at Baku International Film Festival (Azerbaijan)
1992	Where is Your Home?	Director	Feature film	Jury Prize at Ashgabat International Film Festival (Turkmenistan)
1993	The Swing	Director, co-writer	Short film	Grand Prix at Locarno; FIPRESCI Special Mention at Torino; Grand Prix at Potsdam International Film Festival (Germany)
1996	Let's Work Together	Director, screenwriter	Public service advertisement	Grand Prix Moscow International Advertising Festival; Bronze Lion Cannes Lions
1996	Alakandai Elibis, Yntymaktuu Bololu	Director, screenwriter	Public service advertisement	First Prize Moscow International Advertising Festival for Public Advertising
1997	Hassan-Hussen	Director, screenwriter	Short film	Grand Prix Siena International Short Film Festival; Jury Prize Chicago International Children's Film Festival; Audience Award Castellinaria Festival (Switzerland)
1998	Beshkempir/The Adopted Son	Director, co-writer	Feature film	Silver Leopard Locarno; Don Quijote Award; Grand Prix Eurasia IFF; Audience and Jury Prizes Vienna IFF; Asian Film Juries Award Tokyo IFF; Grand Prix Cottbus Film Festival; Multiple awards including FIPRESCI and NETPAC Special Mention Singapore IFF; Grand Prix Ljubljana IFF; Grand Prix Belgrade Author's Film Festival
2000	The Stop	Director, co-writer	Short film	Jury Prize Best Short Film Anapa IFF; Jury Prize Cottbus IFF
2001	The Chimp	Director, co-writer	Feature film	Un Certain Regard Cannes; Grand Prix Yalta IFF; Best Scenario Anapa IFF; Best Director Listapad Minsk IFF; Jury Special Prize Festroia IFF; FIPRESCI Special Mention Bratislava IFF
2008	The Bride	Story by, co-writer	Feature film
2010	Svet-ake/The Light Thief	Director, co-writer, lead actor	Feature film	Director's Fortnight Cannes; Grand Prix and FIPRESCI Prize Eurasia IFF; Grand Prix Didor IFF; Best Actor and Critics Prize Kinoshok (Russia); Audience Award Cottbus IFF; Special Jury Prize Amiens IFF; Bronze Alhambra Cines del Sur IFF; Grand Prix Rabat IFF
2011	Mother's Heaven	Director	Feature film	World Premiere Karlovy Vary IFF
2015	Heavenly Nomadic	Co-writer	Feature film	Best Screenplay Ak Ilbirs National Film Awards
2017	Centaur	Director, co-writer, lead actor	Feature film	CICAE Award Berlinale for cultural importance; Grand Prix MOOOV IFF (Belgium); Best Director and NETPAC Award Eurasia IFF for merging tradition with modern themes; Best Actor Asian World Film Festival; Multiple top honors Ak Ilbirs National Film Awards
2025	Black Red Yellow Кара Кызыл Сары	Co-writer	Feature film	Kyrgyzstan’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards

External links