Yermek Tursunov is a Kazakh novelist and award-winning filmmaker. His debut feature as writer and director, The Daughter-in-law (Kelin), premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. His 2012 feature The Old Man (Shal) was Kazakhstan’s submission for the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for a Russian Academy Award. It received two APSA nominations in 2013, for Best Cinematography and Best Actor.
His other films as writer/director are Seven Days in May, Kempyr and Kenzhe. Tursunov has written many other feature films including Who are you, Mr Ka? and Late Love. Famous for the many novels he has written, Tursunov has also translated many works of Kazakh literature.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
