Jamilia

Jamilia, the first novel by Soviet-Kyrgyz author Chinghiz Aitmatov, was published in 1958. Political authorities controlled all publishing, while supervising schools and education across the USSR. The paradox was that Jamilia became a classic (and part of the Soviet school curriculum), despite the fact that the main character broke all the rules, defying the authority of both her father and the village leader. Since Kirghizstan obtained independence in 1990, the book continues to be studied with much admiration, and thus everyone knows is familiar with the popular text. The film, shot in Kirgizstan using a Super-8 camera, is a search for Jamilia. Weeet women who talk about Jamilia while revealing their own private lives and desires, the rules they chafe under and their ideas of freedom.