The Moon Shows the Way has been featured on Girls in Film, a global platform and community dedicated to supporting and showcasing the work of women, non-binary and trans creatives in film.
The short film was created during Alternativa Teen Lab under the mentorship of filmmakers Lena Vanina and Kirill Kulagin. Directed by Uuljan Zainidinova and Sezimai Mayrambek kyzy, it follows Akylai, an 18-year-old girl from the village of Kyzyl-Korgon in Kyrgyzstan, whose parents have arranged her marriage. Dreaming of freedom and a life beyond her village, she is forced to confront a future that has been decided for her — until an event on the eve of the wedding changes everything.
Through Akylai’s story, the young filmmakers explore the lack of freedom of choice faced by many women in Central Asia, touching on forced early marriage, family pressure and the struggle to determine one’s own path.
