a short film
What Have You Done, Zarina? (2025)
drama
Country of Origin & Filming: Kazakhstan
Duration: 26:48
Language: Kazakh, Russian
Year: 2025
English subtitles: Yes

Shooting Format: Digital, Raw,

ARRI ALEXA Mini

Aspect Ratio: 3:2

Film Color: Color

First-time Filmmaker: No

Logline

A 15-year-old Zarina wants to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy. However, she ends up caught in a vicious cycle that is more difficult to escape than she thought.

Synopsis

Zarina, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, decides to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy before anyone finds out. In secret, she searches for a solution - swallowing pills, whispering plans to her best friend Karina, hiding her fear from parents who would never understand. But every attempt only pulls her deeper into a vicious cycle of shame and silence. Over the course of a few days, Zarina’s childhood unravels as she faces isolation, humiliation, and the weight of decisions far beyond her age. What seemed like a way out becomes a trap she cannot easily escape.

Torino Film Festival 2025, Italy — Best Short Film Award
Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2025, Indonesia
Palm Springs International ShortFest 2026, USA
SCAD Savannah Film Festival 2026, USA
Los Angeles Pacific Asian Film Festival 2026, USA
Hof International Film Festival 2026, Germany
Tirana International Film Festival 2026, Albania
Batumi International Art-House Film Festival 2026, Georgia — Jury Special Mention
Kutaisi International Short Film Festival 2026, Georgia — Best Short Film Award
Art Film Fest 2026, Slovakia — Best Short Film Award
Festival Tous Courts 2026, France
Umut Youth Forum 2026, Kyrgyzstan — Best Actress Award
Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People 2026, Greece
İzmir International Short Film Festival 2026, Türkiye
Filmfest Düsseldorf 2026, Germany

Camila Sagyntkan is a director and producer from Almaty, Kazakhstan. She holds a law degree, a background that sharpened her perspective on justice, responsibility, and human stories before she turned to filmmaking. She has been working in the film industry since 2018, with experience in more than a hundred projects as a 1AD, producer, and script supervisor.


Camila is a resident of the BaseCamp ’25 at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, a participant of the CAPITÃO Artist Residency in Portugal, the Qyzqaras Critic Lab ’25 in Kazakhstan, the Script LAB CA ’25 in Kyrgyzstan, the Drama Pitching LAB '26 in Greece and Caucasus Cinema '26 in Georgia.


She is currently promoting her second short film, “What Have You Done, Zarina?”; developing her third short film, “Brat Summer,” which was selected among the top ten projects of the Asian Short Film Fund; writing her feature-length film, “My Sea, My Waves”; and working on various other projects.

A SHORT FILM
Happy Independence Day (2023)
drama with elements of satire
Country of Origin & Filming: Kazakhstan
Duration: 16:31
Language: Kazakh, Russian
Year: 2023
English subtitles: Yes

Shooting Format: Digital, Raw,

RED 8K, Cooke S4

Aspect Ratio: 4:3 + 16:9

Film Color: Color

First-time Filmmaker: Yes

Logline

After the death of his love, a middle-aged man tries to find a new sense of life against all changes in the country.

Synopsis
A fast-forward metaphor for Kazakhstan's path to look for a new identity through the image of a middle-aged man Marat who loses his meaning in life after the death of his love. After his wife's funeral, Marat finds himself alone. His son leaves for work in another city, and Marat tries to go to work early to stay engaged. His dissatisfaction with the new society increases and the fear of remaining unnecessary to anyone scares him. Marat tries to find a new sense of life against all societal, economic, and political changes in the country through work and his son's pride but finds it completely different.
The Hypatia Award for Creativity at the Alexandria Short Film Festival (2025)
Award for Best Short Film at the Eurasian Creative Guild Film Festival (2024)
Renata Dublicka-Woźniak Award for Most Positive Character at the Euroshorts (2023)
Award for Best Short Film at the AISFF (2023)
Award for Best Editing at the Baiqonyr IFF (2023)

Official Selection at the Cleveland IFF (2024), Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (2024), Courts d'un soir (2024), Bengaluru IFF (2024), Festival Cortos en Grande (2024), goEast 2024 (2024), Grenzland-Filmtage (2024), Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival (2024), IFF of the CIS countries, Baltic, and Georgia (2024), 19th IAWRT Asian Women's Film Festival (2024), MIFF (2024), PRVI KADAR-INTERNATIONAL FF (2023), Baku ISFF (2023), 62nd Golden Knight Malta ISFF & more

This directorial and screenwriting debut, “Happy Independence Day”, was shortlisted for the Sundance Institute Ignite x Adobe program in 2023, which marked the continuation of Camila Sagyntkan's career as a director and writer. The film received several awards and was screened at international festivals, including the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Courts d’un soir, the Go East Film Festival, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and others. In 2025, it was released online through Short of the Week.


Press and links:

Interview for Harper's Bazaar Kazakhstan

Interview for Manshuq Media

Variety - Triumph at Torino Film Festival

Shortoftheweek - Happy Independence Day by Camila Sagyntkan

Interview for the Tokyo International Short Film Festival

Kazakh Movie Wins at Eurasian Creative Guild Film Festival

Kazakh film «Happy Independence Day» gains international recognition

MIFF to dedicate a segment featuring movies from women filmmakers

VI ECG Film Festival Goes Beyond the Moving Image

contact for more information:
+7 701 913 30 37 (Whatsapp)
camilasagyntkan@gmail.com
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