"Naryn Diary": The film by the Builder of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Station No. 1 has been restored

The digital restoration has brought back to viewers a landmark documentary work from the early 1970s.

The documentary film "Naryn Diary," which has been restored in digital format, is one of the most significant works of Kyrgyz documentary filmmaking from the 1970s. This film highlights the construction of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station and the events leading up to the creation of this largest hydroelectric facility in the country.

Director Algimantas Vidugiris not only filmed the documentary but also participated in the construction of the Toktogul HPP No. 1 himself. His involvement was confirmed by a publication in the newspaper Pravda No. 292 dated October 19, 1973, and a builder's certificate.

The uniqueness of "Naryn Diary" lies in the fact that the author was a direct participant in the events, which gives the film a special tone and documentary authenticity, distinguishing it from the works of external observers.

The film crew, which included Algimantas Vidugiris, Bolot Tabaldiev, and Nikolai Ryshkov, made a rafting trip down the Naryn River on a homemade raft, passing through areas that later ended up under the waters of the Toktogul Reservoir.

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The film captures various aspects of life in the coastal villages, including interviews with local residents, shepherds, archaeologists, assemblers, and schoolchildren. It is a chronicle of the last days of the river in its former state and simultaneously the beginning of a new energy era. The film has become part of a duology about the construction of the hydroelectric station, which took more than fifteen years to complete.

Now "Naryn Diary" is available to viewers in updated quality thanks to the digital restoration, which preserved the visual structure of the original film and made this important historical document accessible to a new generation.

After many years, the film continues to be a valuable combination of personal experience and artistic approach. The story of the builders of the Toktogul HPP, a key facility in Kyrgyzstan's energy sector, remains an important part of the country's cultural memory.

For reference, the installed capacity of the Toktogul HPP is 1,440 megawatts, which provides nearly 60% of all electricity produced in the Kyrgyz Republic.

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