The main venues will be the Ala-Too cinema and OloloErkindik. The program will feature screenings of feature-length and short documentaries, meetings with filmmakers, master classes, professional discussions, pitching sessions and film project presentations.

The festival will open on September 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ala-Too cinema. Audiences will see Algimantas Vidugiris’ Naryn Diary and director Talip Ibragimov’s Algimantas Vidukyrgyz — Confession of a Film Director’s Wife.

The following days will feature the competition program, a retrospective of Vidugiris’ films and the non-competitive «Perspective» program.

Winners will be selected in the categories Best Film and Best Director. The festival will also present a Special Jury Prize and an Audience Award.

With support from the New York Film Academy Kazakhstan, the festival’s prize fund has been expanded with awards worth a total of $80,000.

The organizers will also form a student jury, whose members will have the opportunity to evaluate the competition films alongside professionals.

OloloErkindik will host the festival’s educational and industry program. Experts from DocsBarcelona, Berlin Film Residencies, Cannes Docs, Stranger Films Sales, 3Boxmedia, LuFilms and New York Film Academy Kazakhstan will come to Bishkek.

Kazakh director Kanat Beisekeyev will conduct a master class on creating accessible documentary films.

Documentary projects will also be presented in two sections — Project Pitching and Project Showcase. Participants will receive expert feedback, opportunities for international co-production and promotion on foreign platforms, as well as financial support.

The Algimantas Vidugiris Award will be presented for the first time this year. The award is not part of the UmutDoc competition program; its recipient will be selected by a separate international jury. The award was established as part of the VidugirisFilm project to preserve and promote the filmmaker’s creative legacy.

One of the festival’s goals is to create opportunities for Central Asian documentary filmmakers to enter the international market.

Admission to all UmutDoc events will be free.