Kazakhstani makes ‘Bala' documentary about Kazakh-born kids adopted by U.S. parents

"The idea to make such a documentary came when I met a Kazakh girl in the U.S. three years ago. Back then I made the story about the adopted children. I realized that I wasn't ready to film the documentary, I lacked experience and my English wasn't that good. When I shot documentaries about Kazakhstanis in the U.S., I had this idea of making a good documentary film about the Kazakh-born kids adopted by the American couples," Kanat says.



In his words, he raised $5,000 to finance the project through crowdfunding in five days.

"Huge support from my audience and people who watched my previous documentaries made all the difference. Social media users donated from $5 to $500. The U.S. Consulate in Almaty covered all the expenses when I had to return to the U.S. because I needed extra footage for the film," Kanat adds.

"The shooting took place in seven states. The documentary tells the stories of eight Kazakh-born children aged 7-21. I asked them whether they remember Kazakhstan, what do they remember and how they picture their native land right now. They all know they were adopted and even remember Kazakhstan, although they were very little at the time of adoption," the director of the documentary says.



The documentary will be released in late February. Kanat says it is a non-commercial project that will encourage young directors to create no matter how much money they have: "I was the director, the camera man, the editor, the producer of the documentary, you name it. Of course, I got a little help during the post-production period."



The director claims that the documentary is about love and the crossover of two different cultures.

According to Kanat, he has no plans to release the documentary in movie theaters or present it at film festivals. "I just want people in Kazakhstan to see it for free online," he adds.