Only Heaven Knows
Dünüyö
Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva · Kyrgyzstan, USA · 2025 · 80 min
FEATURES COMPETITION
After a long truck-driving trip, Erik returns home to his wife, Mira, and his mother, Aigul, feeling that a lucky win at the slot machines signals good things for their small Kyrgyz immigrant family in Chicago. While Erik is hopeful, Mira is skeptical, and Aigul is optimistic. But Erik falls back gambling with shady people, who led him astray before. Hoping to ride the wave of luck, Erik loses everything, sinking deeper into debt. His loss leads to violence, and he disappears into the night.
The next day, Mira awakens to the consequences of Erik’s actions. With mounting pressure from Aigul and the realization of how dire her situation could be, Mira uncovers Erik’s unpaid debts and threats of deportation, all while hiding her own secrets. As Aigul continues to be in denial, Mira, isolated, realizes she must seek her own path to freedom for a better future.
Fiction · Drama · All ages
Language: Kyrgyz, Russian, English
Themes: Migration, integration, diasporas
Screenplay: Jeff Man, Güljan Toktogul
Producers: Aziza Khalbekova
Executive Producer: Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva
Cinematographers: Mitchell Arens
Editor: Ulukmyrza Ravshanbekov
Key cast: Malika Kanatova, Dauren Tashkenbaev, Elmira Mirza
Director's Statement
Only Heaven Knows is not just a film about a missing man—it is a film about a woman finding herself in the wreckage. It is an ode to all immigrant women who have had to piece their lives back together quietly, away from the spotlight, in unfamiliar lands. Through this story, I hope to break silences and create space for voices that are often unheard—not only in mainstream cinema but even within our own communities. Only Heaven Knows is intended for a diverse audience committed to understanding the human impact of migration, gender inequality, and diasporic trauma. — Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva
