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With ‘Sicko’ and ‘Becoming’ among the featured films, as well as a short film, Anna Bogutskaya, head of the event’s screen, explains why the Central Asian country, and the wider region, deserves attention.
If you think this film from Kazakhstan is the equivalent of Borat, the fictional character created by Sacha Baron Cohen, you might want to think again — and head over to the SXSW London Screen Festival 2026 for the latest cinematic evidence. After all, Kazakhstan is back in town and ready to make a big splash.
Anna Bogotskaya, Head of Screen at SXSW London, and her team have booked an eclectic mix of theatrical shows and series. But Kazakh cinema stands out more clearly than most people expect in the Central Asian country of about 21 million people.
“We have two films from Kazakhstan this year,” both of which will celebrate their UK premieres at the festival, highlights Bogutskaya, alongside a short film. “This is an area that’s just exploding. There’s a lot. There’s a lot of things.” [going on]”.
The Only Film is Zhanat Alshanova’s first feature film becomeabout teenage swimmer Mila (portrayed by Tamiris Zangazinova), who takes care of the family home and her younger sister while her mother pursues affairs and opportunities. It premiered at Locarno 2025.
Another feature in the spotlight at SXSW London is Aitore Zholdaskali Sicoa social drama thriller about a couple who makes a fortune by faking cancer, starring Ayan Ottebergen and Delnaz Koramjali, which had its world premiere in Rotterdam 2026. The film is the director’s first solo feature directorial effort.
Meanwhile, the short film from Kazakhstan at SXSW London this year is My Brother Lyosha and I, produced by Lena Tronina, which is set in the 1990s and focuses on Lyosha and Lena, who “must rely on each other to endure quiet cycles of violence at home,” according to the film’s synopsis.
Bogotskaya expects more films from Kazakhstan to make it to the festival circuit and perhaps to the world stage. “We had a film from there last year, too,” Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s horror film “Cadet,” as well as “Deal on the Border,” by Dastan Zabar Ryskild from neighboring Kyrgyzstan, about two young runners who do a major drug lord’s dirty work by transporting illicit packages across the river that marks the border between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
“It’s very exciting what’s happening there and in that [whole] “We are definitely monitoring this part of the world,” Bogotskaya concludes.
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