Film Produced by Alternativa Lab Alumna Selected for San Sebastián

Mugalim marks the feature debut of Kazakh director Ayana Nurdinova and is the first film by a female Kazakh director ever selected for the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The film will have its world premiere in New Directors, one of the festival’s key competitive sections dedicated to discovering and championing emerging filmmakers from around the world with their first or second feature films.

Set in the small industrial city of Balkhash, the film follows a music teacher who dreams of leaving for a bigger city. When the opportunity finally comes, he begins to realize just how much he is needed back home.

Mugalim was produced by Aruzhan Dossymkozha, who took part in the 2025 Alternativa Impact Distribution Lab that brought together filmmakers and changemakers from Central Asia to explore how cinema can become a tool for social change. Guided by international experts, they learned to design impact strategies that connect socially driven films with the audiences who need them most. During the Lab, Aruzhan and her fellow participants developed an impact strategy for Mugalim, focused on bringing greater visibility to the challenges facing regional education and inclusion in schools.

The 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival will take place from September 18–26, 2026, with the world premiere of Mūğalım scheduled for September 20.