2008
January 12th, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "The Land of the Fathers" (in Kazakh, Atameken) – one of the brightest Kazakh films of the Soviet era. Directed by Shaken Aymanov, the founder of Kazakh cinema and screenwritten by Olzhas Suleimenov, then young poet and the speaking trumpet of the generation. It was shot in 1966, during the period of the so-called “Thaw.” By this screening, SRH begins its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs – the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
January 26th, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "Difficult Crossing" (originally released as "White Mountains") – is the first film where the Kyrgyz people have acknowledged themselves (director Melis Ubukeev). It was shot in 1964, during the period of the so-called Thaw. The movie is woven from multi-layer metaphors and the symbols of national culture. Melis Ubukeev was the first one to register the Kyrgyz people in the cinematography as the people with its own mentality and cultural world. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs – the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
February 9th, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "You Are Not an Orphan", the film by Shukhrat Abbasov, one of the founders of Uzbek national cinematography. The film shot in 1963, during the so-called Thaw period, and in some issues has outstripped its time. The leading idea of the film is the way children of different nationalities learn to live together as one big family. The director offers a specific social spatial model -- community of people, the so called mahallya. The film shows the life in a small multinational society, forming of a big artificial family and its survival by the laws of traditional organization of Uzbek mahallya. The film is based on true facts and dedicated to all families who brought back the maternal kindness, home and happiness to orphans of the Soviet era. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs – the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
February 23rd, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "Hassan-arbakesh" is a uniquely creative attempt to tell about the world of traditional culture of Tajiks, being destroyed by the new Soviet power. Director is Boris Kimyagarov (1920-1979, born in Samarkand to Bukharan Jewish family as Bension Arievich Kimyagarov), one of the founders of Tajik cinematography, one of those who awakened the national self-consciousness in Tajiks. It was shot in 1965, during the period of the so-called Thaw. The main topic of the film is the clash of two cultures, two worlds. The narration in the film is built according to traditional mythological and epic schemes. Unlike other movies of Kimyagarov, this one, because of the communist censorship, was left unknown to the wide audience outside Tajikistan. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs – the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs – the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
February 24th, Sunday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: "New Research on Early Inner Asian Nomads" by Dr. Daniel Clarke Waugh, Professor Emeritus, Department of History; Jackson School of International Studies; Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Washington, Seattle Cinematography.
March 8th, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "Daughter-in-Law" – is the first film of the outstanding Turkmen director Khodzhakuli Narliev (b. 1937). It was shot in 1972, in the last year of the so-called Thaw. Some critics call it Shakespearean tragedy on the steppe... The plot is based on a real fact. Indeed, there was a woman whose husband died at war but she did not believe in his death and continued to stay with her father-in-law, an old herder, waiting for husband’s return. Her hope, visions and dreams are endless. "There are films that can be viewed as the visiting card of the nation. The film of Khodzhakuli Narliev 'Daughter-in-Law' is such an encyclopedia of life of Turkmen people. The film shows an ordinary life of herders -- an old man and daughter in law, living in the desert, but their way of life in a traditional environment is conveyed with such a depth and emotion, in such a charming rhythm, which makes it impossible to turn away from the screen" - Gulnara Abikeeeva The movie received numerous prizes and brought to its director national and international recognition. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs – the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
March 16th, Sunday, 2pm	Lecture at SRH: "Arab Women’s' Oral Traditions" by Dr. Mounira Hejaiej, Professor of English at Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Dr. Hejaiej is the author of the fascinating book Womens' Oral Narratives in Tunis. They say she is a good singer, too. Please note that this particular talk scheduled for 2pm and will be last for 45 minutes followed by questions and answers.
March 22nd, Saturday, Noon-6pm	Silk Road House celebrates Nawruz. Nawruz [lit. ‘new day,’ in Persian language; various local pronunciations and spellings] is the ancient celebration of the vernal equinox for all Central Asians, Iranians, Kurds, and many peoples in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Caucasus, in the Balkans, and other areas of the world. Traditionally this historically pre-Islamic beautiful New Year holiday marks the arrival of spring. Nawruz has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and is deeply rooted in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrian religion. Nawruz is a celebration of fertility and hope for a bountiful harvest later in the year. Although most of the peoples of Central Asia today are of Turkic background, this holiday is actually an ancient Iranian tradition. Nowadays it is a public holiday in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Silk Road House is inviting its community to celebrate Nawruz and offers a program which includes the Iranian singer Shayesteh Talai, the virtuoso Uzbek doira-player Salakhiddin Fakhriev, the Uyghur dancer Rehima Dolan, and our special guest Dr. Faik Chelebi, the outstanding Azeri tar-player who has been giving a few unforgettable concerts at Stanford and Berkeley. Silk Road House will be open by noon. At 2pm some festive meal will be offered, and the concert part will take place between 4 and 6PM. Event is free. However, a $20 donation will help us to cover catering.
April 6th, Sunday, 1pm	Movie at SRH: "The Other Silk Road" (2008), a brand new documentary on migration and transition in the modern Kyrgyzstan. Producers -- Xonzoi Barbora (Regional Manager, Panos Institute South Asia, Assam, India) and Susan Thieme (Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland) -- will be both present at the screening and open for questions and discussion. Dr. Susan Thieme currently works on migration in post-Soviet Central Asia. The film (35 min) has two extra features – Trailer (5 min) and Making of the Film (15 min).
April 12th, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "Aksuat" -- the most remarkable Kazakh film of the independent era (1997). Director (and actor) Serik Aprymov (b. 1960), composer Kazbek Spanov, art-director of the pop-group JCS. Aksuat – the aul in Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan where two brothers meet showing two contrast scenarios of the modern life dilemma. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs -- the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
April 26th, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "Beshkempir: The Adopted Son" -- the best Kyrgyz film of the Independent era (director Aktan Abdykalykov, composer Nurlan Nishanov, 1998; released in France in 1999; 81 min). The film won numerous international awards. The film stars the director's son Mirlan Abdykalykov in the lead role (The Kyrgyz word beshkempir literally means "five grandmothers" – those who adopted the boy). The film is shot in black and white, occasionally interspersed with color sequences. Most of the shooting took place on location in the village of Bar-Boulak in Kyrgyzstan.
May 10, Saturday, 5pm	Movie at SRH: "The Orator" ("Voiz") – Uzbek film of 1998 (83 min). Writer and producer Yusup (Jusuf) S. Razykov (b. 1957) tells a witty and poetic story of Iskander, a poor cart man, who can't give up his three-woman harem and therefore happens to find himself at the centre of events that impact his marital life, family relations and his position in the society. The Orator takes place in the 1920s, at the dawn of Soviet power in Uzbekistan. The Orator is crucially concerned with gender, specifically the early-Soviet reform of Uzbek women’s rights and marriage policies. Razykov said in an interview: “My favorite costume is the veil. It’s much more interesting to peek under that shroud, which expresses nothing but conceals a great deal”. The Orator is a landmark not only, or even primarily, in the director’s own career, but in Uzbek film generally. The film made the international festival rounds to great acclaim. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs -- the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
May 11, Sunday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: "Revisiting the Pivot of Asia: an Anthropologist's View of Chinese Muslims along the Silk Road" by Cindy Y Huang, PhD candidate in cultural anthropology at University of California at Berkeley, former humanitarian aid worker for Doctors without Borders. Cindy Huang just returned from a year of fieldwork in Kashgar and Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. Cindy will describe her fieldwork, as well as compare her observations to previous accounts of Uyghur life dating back to the 1930s.
May 18, Sunday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: "The Soul of Kazakhstan" by Wayne Eastep, the outstanding American award-winning photographer with a passion for world cultures. Kazakhstan: land of women warrior chieftains, the first domesticated horses, origin of the apple, center of the Silk Road. Photographer, Adventurer, World Traveler, Wayne Eastep will present his photographs and talk about the culture, history and people of Kazakhstan, an important and unique country in Central Eurasia. See more about our distinguished guest and his work at these websites: Facebook Event, Company Facebook Website, Wayne's Profile, The Soul of Kazakhstan. Among Wayne Eastep’s books and albums are "Bedouin", "The Living Seas", "Last Blast at Wethersfield", and "The Soul of Kazakhstan" with the essays of Alma Kunanbaeva (named there as Kunanbay) – that is the best known to the Silk Road House members book.
May 24, Saturday, 5-7pm	Movie at SRH: "Kosh Ba Kosh" ("Odds And Evens", the name of a local Tajik gambling game) -- the Tajik film of 1993, director Bakhtiyar Khudoinazarov (composer Achmad Bakaev; a joint production by Germany/Japan/Russia/Switzerland; 95 min). Bakhtiyar Khudoinazarov was born in 1965 in Dushanbe. Since the beginning of the civil war in Tajikistan he has lived and worked in Germany. Khudoinazarov has a singular sense of rhythm and soaring ease which gives his viewers a subconscious feeling of happiness and freedom. His 1993 film Kosh Ba Kosh received the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival and altogether has been screened at over 30 international film festivals. The film tells a romantic love story set against the background of Tajik Civil War (1992-1996.) Curfews and bursts of tracer bullets piercing the night hardly seem compatible with a love story. In this strange and dangerous time the men of the city are all into gambling. Everybody gambles with everybody. The situation reaches absurd proportions when the main protagonist wins a young woman from her father. Not knowing what to do, the man decides to take the girl into his shelter -- a cable-car station in the mountains. The war seems far away, but soon it reaches even the apparently peaceful refuge as well. The film conveys the atmosphere of war-torn Dushanbe, the spirit of its citizens strengthened by the hardships and absurdities of the strange war. By this screening, SRH continues its regular evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs -- the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
June 7, Saturday, 5-7pm	Movie at SRH: "Little Angel, Make Me Happy" Turkmen movie (1992; Russian, German, and Turkmen with English subtitles; 88 min), directed by Usman Saparov (b. 1938), composer Dmitri Rybnikov. It tells a story of a German boy’s survival in a Turkmen village. “Little Angel” tells an intimate story within the larger historical context of the deportation of ethnic Germans from Turkmenistan to Siberia during the Second World War. Saparov's historical narrative touches on one of the most complex questions for the modern "little person," the question of "motherland". The film received Grand Prizes at six international festivals, and many other awards. However, the director was forced to move to Russia – in the middle of the 1990s film studio “Turkmenfilm” closed down. While in Russia, Saparov produced, among others, the Russian-language TV version of the popular Sesame Street. By this screening, SRH ends its 2007-08 regular Saturday evenings devoted to the best movies from all Central Asian republics of two epochs -- the 1960s and 1990s. All films have English subtitles. The screening became possible thanks to a generous gift of the Open Society Institute, Budapest. This DVD collection has been prepared by Gulnara Abikeyeva, director of the Center of Central Asian Cinematography. SRH screenings will be introduced and commented by Alma Kunanbaeva.
July 12, Saturday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: “Mugham Jazz” Fusing Traditions in Azerbaijani Jazz with Dr. Aida Huseynova, an Associate Professor at Baku Music Academy, Azerbaijan and a Fulbright scholar at Indiana University. She has a Ph.D. in Musicology from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. Her books and articles have been published in Azerbaijan, the US, Germany, France, Netherlands and Russia. Dr. Huseynova’s main area of expertise is East-West synthesis in musical culture of Azerbaijan. Since 2000, Dr. Huseynova has been numerously hosted by Indiana University as a visiting scholar. Since 2007, she has been serving as a consultant for the “Silk Road Project” under artistic direction of Yo-Yo Ma. Dr. Huseynova is a member of the Composers Union of Azerbaijan and Central Eurasian Studies Society, U.S.A., Secretary General of the National Music Committee of Azerbaijan. The lecture introduces the distinctive style of jazz that emerged in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, in the early 1960s, and still remains an important form of Azerbaijani music. This style known as “Jazz Mugham” juxtaposes features of American jazz with aspects of Mugham, an improvisational genre of traditional music of Azerbaijan. The lecture explores the ways this synthesis has been accomplished musically as well as the social and political context that shaped its development during Soviet and post-Soviet era. The presentation incorporates audio and video examples.
August 3, Sunday, 1-3pm	Mongolian guests at Silk Road House: Sandagdorj Turburam, the artist from Oakland, California, Byambakhuu Darinchuluun, currently the ethnology and history teacher from Arlington, Virginia (see http://www.mongolevents.blogspot.com, http://www.themongolianschool.com, and http://www.myspace.com/mongolevents ), Lkhagvadorj Ulziisaihakhan, the well known musician and the morin khuur ("horse-head fiddle") player, in a joint presentation of the New Morin Khuur website. Our guests will be presenting: 1. Paper cut art works about Mongolian horse and the morin khuur by S. Turburam; 2. A lecture of the Morinkhuur (that is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation) by D.Byambakhuu; 3. The Music of the morin khuur – LIVE PEROFRMANCE by L. Ulziisaihakhan! 4. Demonstration of Mongolian ankle bone games; 5. Samples of Mongolian traditional cuisine.
August 23, Saturday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: “Does Russia mirror, supplement, interact or counteract Silk Roads’ cultures?” A conversation with two distinguished guests of Silk Road House, ethnomusicologists Dr. Victor Lapin (Russian Institute for the History of the Arts, St. Petersburg) and Dr. Elena Vasilyeva (St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Art). They are co-authors of the only textbook for Russian music in the oral tradition. A few members of the Russian folk song group “Kedry” (San Jose) will take part in the meeting with live performance.
September 7, Sunday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: “Discover the World through Overland Expeditions: Drive the Silk Road” A presentation with slide show will be given by Yue Chi, President/CEO of AAST Inc., who recently drove from Beijing to Istanbul with 12 other travelers in four Land Rover Discovery vehicles. This unique 60-day adventure is conducted once a year offering participants the opportunity to encounter people of various cultures, religions and customs, while discovering the timeless treasures of an ancient trade route stretching 15,000 km across six different countries: Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. http://www.DrivetheSilkRoad.com http://www.AAST-Journeys.com
November 16, Sunday, 1-3pm	Lecture at SRH: “Klavdiya Antipina, the mother of Kyrgyz ethnography, and the Kyrgyz reed screens” a slide presentation by Dr. John L. Sommer, former president of the San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society, a member of the Board of Directors of that Society and of the Textile Arts Council, San Francisco, and a trustee of the Textile Museum, Washington, DC. Dr. John L. Sommer, expert on the Kyrgyz, has authored a highly acclaimed book on Kyrgyz reed screens (The Kyrgyz and Their Reed Screens. Fremont, 1996) -- pioneering English language study of this type of Central Asian yurt decoration – and on the life and work of Klavdiya Antipina, the outstanding ethnographer of the Kyrgyz (co-author Bibira Akmoldoeva, 2002).
December 6, Saturday, 1-4pm opening day December 6—22, 2008	Exhibition at SRH: “The Breath” the opening exhibition of Mongolian paper cutting virtuoso Turo Scissorhand. Gallery hours also by appointment only at 510-285-7938 or 510-981-0700. For more information go to www.Turburam.com
For the 2007 events, go to here.