The court's decision to ban the screening of "Region 13" was made on the day of its premiere in Kyrgyzstan at the request of representatives from the public organization "Aykol Ala-Tuu." The organization deemed the Kazakh film offensive to Kyrgyz people, as it claims that participants in the events of April 7, who overthrew Kurmanbek Bakiyev, used psychotropic substances, reports Radio Azattyk.
– The trailer of the film states that on April 7 and during the June events, the guys used psychotropic substances. This was the reason for our appeal to the court. The film casts a shadow on those who died during the April events. No one has the right to destabilize the situation. Such films should not be shown on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, – stated the head of the organization "Aykol Ala-Tuu," deputy Meerbek Miskembaev.
The deputy noted that no one in his organization has seen the film itself, but the trailer posted online was enough for them to understand that the film is immoral. For his part, the producer of "Region 13," Shaiyrbek Mamatoktorov, is puzzled as to why the court banned the screening of a film that has no direct relation to the April events in Kyrgyzstan.
– The idea of the film belongs to Kazakh directors. They created this film as a warning so that the events that happened in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan do not repeat in their country. The script was approved by the Ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan. But in any case, we must speak openly about the events of 2010, – Mamatoktorov told reporters from Radio Azattyk.
The producer also added that there was indeed a scene in the film that mentioned psychotropic substances, but at the request of "Kyrgyzfilm," it was cut before the film's release in Kyrgyzstan.
The film "Region 13" tells the story of residents of Kazakhstan trying to prevent a "color" revolution that external forces, with the help of several foreign non-governmental organizations, are attempting to organize. The operation to prevent the revolution is led by a well-known criminal authority in Southern Kazakhstan, Bagdat.
