
Directing
Akan Kargambaevich Satayev (Kazakh: Ақан Қарғамбайұлы Сатаев; born December 23, 1971; Karaganda) is a Kazakh film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and laureate of State Award of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Akan was born to a family of actors, both his parents were recognized as People's Artistes of the Kazakh SSR and performed leading roles at Karaganda Drama Theater where he spent a lot of time. That theater became his first drama school, and in 1994 Akan graduated from Kazakh National Academy of Arts, Dept of Cinema and Television. While at the university, he played student Azat, the main character in Allazhar, a movie by Kaldybay Abenov about tragic events in Alma-Ata in December 1986. After graduation, Akan took part in various feature films and went into directing and producing advertising clips. Sataifilm, the company he founded in 2003, presented Racketeer, a crime drama and his debut movie, in 2007. In 2016 Akan founded Astana Film Fund to support young Kazakhstani directors and low-budget indie productions. In the same year he shot 2 feature-length movies - “Districts”, a teenage crime drama set in the USSR and The Road to Mother, a period drama about Collectivization in the Soviet Union, Eastern Front (World War II) and post-war years in Kazakhstan. Mr. Satayev led Kazakhfilm, the largest movie studio in Kazakhstan between 2020 and 2022.

Events in the "Businessmen" unfold in the era of the 90's, when the country is experiencing an economic crisis. Heroes of the film are among the first who stood at the origins of market relations in Kazakhstan.

The film tells the story of Azat, a participant in the first mass patriotic demonstrations in the USSR, who was imprisoned and subjected to abuse by investigators and prison guards. Azat’s prototype was Qayrat Rysqulbekov.

A successful businessman by chance becomes a real mentor for a young waiter who accidentally saves his life.

The story of young accordionist who lives in a small post-war village on the south of Soviet Kazakhstan.

The main character, his wife and small son lose their way and become stuck on a country road. As a result, they have to spend the night in their car. The following morning, the main character awakens alone, his wife and son having mysteriously disappeared. His preliminary searches bring the hero to a small lonely house, in which an old man and a young woman live. It seems that these strange tenants know about him and his family but try to hide their knowledge. For what reason?

Sayan has survived the accident but 10 years later the past comes after him.

A highly skilled bodyguard avenging his brother's untimely death uncovers a ring of corruption extending to the highest levels of society and government.

The main character, his wife and small son lose their way and become stuck on a country road. As a result, they have to spend the night in their car. The following morning, the main character awakens alone, his wife and son having mysteriously disappeared. His preliminary searches bring the hero to a small lonely house, in which an old man and a young woman live. It seems that these strange tenants know about him and his family but try to hide their knowledge. For what reason?

Set in the early 1990s in Almaty, the film follows Sayan, a promising young boxer who decides to punch his way into a better life by joining a local criminal gang. As he climbs the ranks of the underworld, he quickly learns that the path of a racketeer comes with a heavy price, and some choices can never be undone. A gritty, first-person account of ambition, loyalty, and the inevitable reckoning in a lawless era.

Set in the early 1990s in Almaty, the film follows Sayan, a promising young boxer who decides to punch his way into a better life by joining a local criminal gang. As he climbs the ranks of the underworld, he quickly learns that the path of a racketeer comes with a heavy price, and some choices can never be undone. A gritty, first-person account of ambition, loyalty, and the inevitable reckoning in a lawless era.

A highly skilled bodyguard avenging his brother's untimely death uncovers a ring of corruption extending to the highest levels of society and government.

The story of Serik Sapiev, a two—time world champion and winner of Olympic gold.

The story of Serik Sapiev, a two—time world champion and winner of Olympic gold.

The president Nursultan Nazarbayev announces the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Akmola. Task is almost impossible: to transfer the capital from Alatau highland to the boundless steppes of Saryarka in a short time.
