Aktan Arym Kubat | France, Kyrgystan | 2010 | 80’ | Kyrgyz spoken, Dutch subtitles | Distribution: Contact Film
Local electrician Svet-ake (Mr. Light), played by Arym Kubat himself, lives with his wife and four daughters in Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous and desolate south. He dreams of two things: having a son and bringing cheap, wind-powered energy to the people living in the valley. Kind Svet-ake is much loved in the community, as he not only helps them out whenever the power’s gone, but also provides a listening ear to anyone fretting over personal problems. One day, Bekzat, a young politician, comes to the village to realize a land deal with Chinese investors. He tries to sweet talk Svet-ake into cooperation, but soon the electrician recognize that this sort of capitalism implies the potential death of his country’s centuries-old traditions. Svet-ake takes on a literal and metaphorical fight for the light in the lives of his countrymen.
Friday 12 August, 7.00 pm, Rialto 
Friday 19 August, 5.00 pm, Rialto
