The director was actively involved in the construction from the very beginning and shared this experience with future generations. In 1979, Gemma Firsova, a renowned public figure, noted that Vidugiris's dilogy is an "outstanding phenomenon" in the world of documentary cinema.
The film not only tells about the grand scale of the construction of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station but also focuses on the fates of people: builders, shepherds, local residents, and archaeologists whose lives were changed due to these events.
The film was highly praised by the famous writer Chinghiz Aitmatov. In his speech at the IV Congress of Filmmakers of Kyrgyzstan in April 1982, he emphasized: "...I again mention Vidugiris's films as an example for young graduates of VGIK. Learn from such people, seek your path based on real life, not on fictional plots."
Now, more than 50 years later, the "Naryn Diary" has become a symbol of its era. The digital restoration gives the film a new quality of image and allows for a reevaluation of the fates of the people who participated in the construction of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station, as well as portraying the director not just as an observer, but as an active participant in the process. This is what makes the film particularly valuable.
