Perspective Film Series Presents:
Happiness (Baqyt) (2022), Directed by Askar Uzabayev
Friday, May 5th @ 7:00pm
2022 | Kazakh, Russian (Kazakhstan) | 131 mins
The fabricated and seemingly perpetual curation of happiness on social media creates a disillusioned society upon which we become dependent, consuming realities superficially. What exists on the other side, why do we turn to social media as a way to cope or escape? May’s perspective looks at the corrosivity of domestic violence and the frequency of which women in Kazakhstan suffer in their homes, as well as the means they take to seek relief.
Our galleries are open 12-7PM for viewing prior to attending the event.
Friday, May 5, 2023
Doors: 7:00pm
Screening: 7:30pm
FREE with $10 admission to Contemporary Calgary. FREE for members.
Synopsis: Happiness (Baqyt) (2022)
A woman is standing in front of the mirror. She is beautiful and has a striking face and strong cheekbones. She is bracing herself, a last vestige of self-respect driving her on. Her body is black and blue from the marks of many years of abuse. She swathes it in the orange dress that represents her working life. In this world she is a successful influencer promoting a product line called “Happiness” that – as she demonstrates in her hypnotic sales pitches – is supposed to make women attractive and happy. But terror reigns at home; it even reigns in her newlywed daughter’s house too. A self-determined life is something about which a woman in Kazakhstan dares not even dream.
Askar Uzabayev’s deceptively calm, demanding and persistent work examines the worldwide phenomenon of domestic violence, breaking it down here in the context of misogynistic Kazakh rituals. This film will leave its mark on anyone prepared to face the brutality of the average (married) man and the spiral of repression it causes. Having the courage not to look away and instead to speak out and fight back is precisely what this film is about. Bayan Maxatkyzy, a TV blog celebrity with millions of followers, has shown the way forward. Baqyt, which she produced herself, is a legacy to this.
(Berlinale Festival Description)
About the Curator:
Alia Aluma (she/her)
Alia Aluma is an award-winning artist, designer, and writer who works in various industries, including academia, philanthropy, and creative. She has lived, worked, and studied on four different continents, gaining notable experiences with the fashion and fine art networks of Hong Kong, as a muralist in Italy, a fashion photographer in England, and creative director, curator, and designer in Calgary, AB. With three degrees from top ranked global universities, Alia also devotes a great deal of time to education as a public speaker, guest instructor, or mentor in her fields of study: Art & History, Communications, Commerce, Film, and World Culture. Her global and enriching experiences have lent her toward a pursuit in philanthropy, starting the Aluma Foundation with her Father and twin brother, which is a scholarship foundation in Uganda for students at all levels. Among all of this, Alia also donates hundreds of hours to in-kind services annually.
