The Fall of Otrar, dir. Ardak Amirkulov, Kazakhstan 1991, 156 min.
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“I wanted to express my pain for us, the Kazakh people. The ancient city of Otrar was the cradle of our civilisation, and we still haven't climbed out from its ruins.”
– Ardak Amirkulov
Ardak Amirkulov's monumental debut feature reconstructs the final years of the Central Asian city of Otrar before its destruction by Genghis Khan in the early thirteenth century. A former Mongol scout, imprisoned after his warnings of an approaching invasion are dismissed, must escape captivity to try to avert a spiralling diplomatic crisis between the Mongol Empire and the Khwarazmian Shah, whose focus on distant, imagined threats blinds him to the danger gathering at his gates. A cornerstone of Kazakh New Wave cinema, Ardak Amirkulov's masterwork combines a visually stunning aesthetic with staggering cinematic force. Rich in imagery, the film sweeps across vast, arid topographies and royal courts.
This screening will be introduced by Daniel Bird.
– Ardak Amirkulov
Ardak Amirkulov's monumental debut feature reconstructs the final years of the Central Asian city of Otrar before its destruction by Genghis Khan in the early thirteenth century. A former Mongol scout, imprisoned after his warnings of an approaching invasion are dismissed, must escape captivity to try to avert a spiralling diplomatic crisis between the Mongol Empire and the Khwarazmian Shah, whose focus on distant, imagined threats blinds him to the danger gathering at his gates. A cornerstone of Kazakh New Wave cinema, Ardak Amirkulov's masterwork combines a visually stunning aesthetic with staggering cinematic force. Rich in imagery, the film sweeps across vast, arid topographies and royal courts.
This screening will be introduced by Daniel Bird.
Daniel Bird is a writer, curator and filmmaker. He worked with the World Cinema Project on the restoration of Ardak Amirkulov’s The Fall of Otrar, and directed the Hamo Bek-Nazarov Project, a film preservation and restoration programme focused on Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Ukraine.
Restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in collaboration with Ardak Amirkulov. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
This programme is curated by Ali Lalfam in partnership with the National Film and Television School and the ICA.
This programme is curated by Ali Lalfam in partnership with the National Film and Television School and the ICA.
Book tickets
Sat, 12 Dec 2026
Cinema 2
07:00 pm
Ticket information
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Access information
Cinema 2
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