Kazakhstan: Gender violence-themed horror breaks box office records Dastur, which means tradition in Kazakh, grossed $2.2 million in the first week of its release. Joanna Lillis Jan 17, 2024
Kazakhstan: Magic realism meets socialist realism on the Almaty stage Shahmardan Comes Out of the Well addresses a topic still harrowing for Kazakhstan a century on: the famine unleashed when the Soviets embarked on the collectivization of agriculture. Joanna Lillis Dec 22, 2023
A decent man: Living through stagnation, war and peace in Georgia Our chief Caucasus correspondent reflects on the life and radically changing times of his father, who passed away last month. Giorgi Lomsadze Feb 17, 2023
Kazakhstan: Speculation swirls around Bloody January movie The way the filmmakers and authorities are working so closely has given rise to questions about who exactly is backing this movie, and why. Almaz Kumenov Feb 9, 2023
Perspectives | Turkmenistan forgets Memory Day As the government rewrites history to avoid mentioning a Russian atrocity, Turkmen are taking their reminiscences online. Oguljamal Yazliyeva Jan 12, 2023
Kyrgyzstan: The exiled Russians offering a Red Roof haven Part of the mission is to ensure that Russians engage constructively with people in their new home. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Nov 18, 2022
Saving Georgia’s wooden mosques The unique Islamic structures stand on the fringes of Georgian culture. Giorgi Lomsadze Nov 15, 2022
Georgia’s most heavily guarded wine The legendary semi-sweet Khvanchkara is an international brand – and used to be an easy target for counterfeiters. Now the police are stepping in. Giorgi Lomsadze Oct 27, 2022
Kazakh-language film content makes progress against Russian headwinds One explanation for the continued dominance of Russian lies in Kazakhstan’s rural-urban divide. Almaz Kumenov Jun 23, 2022
Afghanistan: The Taliban’s first fall and an opening for Tajik journalists Journalists from Tajikistan played vital roles for many foreign news agencies. Text by a Tajik journalist, Photos by Parviz Amirjonov May 20, 2022
After the Patriarch: Almaty theater seeks post-shock therapy in García Márquez Nazarbayev was everywhere, but never mentioned by name. Daniyar Moldabekov Feb 8, 2022
Tajikistan: Little person’s bigtime courts controversy A charismatic, handicapped singer has gone viral, triggering appearances with Russian superstars and a member of the ruling family. Dec 13, 2021
Kazakh TikTokers conquer the world, incite suspicion at home The world’s most popular TikTok house is in Almaty. Not all locals are happy about it. Almaz Kumenov Dec 7, 2021
Kazakhstan’s stand-up comedians try to find their feet It's a niche scene, but comics have plenty of local material to work with. Almaz Kumenov Oct 8, 2021
Kazakhstan: 100 famed textbooks translated into Kazakh The project is intended to partially bridge the language knowledge gap with Russian. Almaz Kumenov Sep 23, 2021