Baurzhan Shukenov. Keeping Up with the Times

A few years ago, Baurzhan Shukenov was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters, third grade, by the French Republic. This makes him a chevalier, or knight. Those who know him confirm that this mantle fits him perfectly. Whatever he turns his hand to, whether festivals of auteur cinema and French films, or his work in memory of his brother Batyrkhan, is all done to the highest possible standard. He also has the knightly qualities of responsibility and generosity.

talked to Baurzhan Shukenov, the director of Almaty’s Arman Cinema and chairman of the Batyrkhan Shukenov Foundation, about consumer culture and his younger brother.

Arman is one of the oldest and most well-known cinemas in Kazakhstan and it is still in operation today.

“Happily, this is true. Two large halls, the two oldest, which have been here since the beginning, are currently undergoing reconstruction. They have been built to Soviet standards, and these days people expect a higher degree of comfort and

technical sophistication, so we need to keep up with the times. We have rearranged the floorplan and widened the aisles, and are putting in new seats with armrests and modern acoustic panels.

Many of us remember that Arman was the first cinema in Kazakhstan to show films in stereo sound.

“That was back in 1976 and the sound panels were designed for stereo sound. Now we work with Dolby sound equipment. As part of the renovation we are considering an upgrade to the sound system and we will have a huge screen. It will be interesting to see the changes.

Would it be correct to assume that these days it is cheaper to build a new cinema than to renovate an old one?

“If you are building a cinema as an individual unit you are taking a risk because the leisure culture, or the culture of consumption, you might say, has changed, and moved towards shopping and entertainment centres. It is easier to go to one place where you can shop, eat, enjoy yourself and go to the cinema at the same time. Most people watch films in these places, and tend to go and see whatever is on. This is why it is too complicated to keep and manage a standalone theatre that only offers films. Cinemas need to provide what today’s audiences expect, such as comfortable auditoriums and auxiliary services, in order to be profitable.

So you have no special support, even though the Arman cinema is on the official government list of architectural monuments?

“Of course, as it is a private cinema it has no special status. In that sense it is interesting to compare with France, where the National Centre of Cinematography and Animation (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, or CNC) has been in existence since 1946, and is jokingly known as the State Cinema Committee. This organisation addresses many issues. Most importantly, they clearly distinguish between commercial and noncommercial cinemas, identifying art house

ones with special repertoires. Half the cinemas in France have art house status, which is fixed in law and, in accordance with their specific character, they receive concrete help in the form of equipment, film distribution, and special rates for utilities payments. If we were in the same situation, can you imagine how much more ambitious we could be for the quality of service we could offer our clients, and all the excellent films we could afford to buy?

You are holding a festival called ‘French Cinema Today’, an auteur film festival called the ‘Clique Film Festival’, and running a competition for documentary films on Central Asia. All this is going on while other cinemas are showing mostly commercial films. Your work could be seen as a form of cultural charity.

“Why? It is not charity. You know, talking today about ‘educating the viewer’ is something that comes from communist ideology. We don’t need to inform our viewers, but we do need to get to know them, to understand what films interest them, which ones they will watch, and what percentage of people (in Almaty at least) are interested in auteur cinema. The main objective for these cinema festivals is for us to become better informed about our audiences and understand what they like. By no means is it a charity. Working with an audience that doesn’t watch films anywhere else is not only a creative project, but also a commercial one. Every year there are many films made that are not screened. When you know there are films out there that will be of interest to your particular audience, then you go out into the world and look for them. We follow cinema festivals, local and European cinema, and find gems that might not have a very wide audience, but which will attract a certain type of discerning viewer. I believe that one day quality will turn into quantity and our

audiences will be able to see good films more widely distributed. In France people are quite used to being offered a range of films as well as popular blockbusters, there is always something good to watch in the cinema.

This must be a complex and timeconsuming job.

“Yes, it is complicated, but this is a choice you make. For me, I simply couldn’t do anything else. I do this with pleasure and delight because it is so interesting. It’s great when an audience likes a film that you do. My only disappointment is that good films are not always easy to get hold of. Really the entire film industry should be working towards getting the best out there, whether for international or local release. That is why good cinema should be nurtured. Cinemas need a balanced repertoire, the right ratio of commercial and non-commercial films. If the ratio of good films falls below five per cent, this is really not good at all.

As well as your work in the film industry, you have also established the Batyrkhan Shukenov Foundation in memory of your brother. Can you tell us about it?

“At the beginning we couldn’t see how to move things on, we had this terribly depressing feeling of wanting to create something in memory of Batyr and continuing what he started, but not knowing how to. It is still not easy, but my daughter Nargiz is helping me. She is the director of the foundation and it keeps her very busy, alongside all her other projects, but it would be more painful if it didn’t exist. This is why we are all very thankful to the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation that has taken on the patronage of all the foundation’s activities. As of today, we have established a scholarship, released a collection of printed music called ‘Sagym Duniye’, and held a national competition for wind instruments. We have also finally released a special album with all Batyr’s recordings, representing his entire artistic legacy. This anthology was my personal duty for my brother. And it is now fulfilled.”