Kazakh filmmaker Askar Uzabayev’s domestic violence drama “Happiness” snagged the Audience Award in the Berlin Film Festival’s prestigious Panorama sidebar, a good sign of its potential appeal in cinemas and festivals worldwide. Whether it will secure distribution in its native Kazakhstan is another matter, however.
Based on actual events, “Happiness” centers on a lovely influencer who promotes a product line called Happiness, which she pitches as a surefire path to happiness, beauty and success.
But her home life reflects the opposite where her abusive husband grows ever more violent. Even her newlywed daughter suffers the same fate in a country where inadequate laws protect the rights and safety of women.
The film is produced by Bayan Maxatkyzy, a renowned TV anchor, producer, actress and blogger in Kazakhstan, with millions of followers on social media. But her celebrity offered no protection from her then husband of 22 years who beat...
Based on actual events, “Happiness” centers on a lovely influencer who promotes a product line called Happiness, which she pitches as a surefire path to happiness, beauty and success.
But her home life reflects the opposite where her abusive husband grows ever more violent. Even her newlywed daughter suffers the same fate in a country where inadequate laws protect the rights and safety of women.
The film is produced by Bayan Maxatkyzy, a renowned TV anchor, producer, actress and blogger in Kazakhstan, with millions of followers on social media. But her celebrity offered no protection from her then husband of 22 years who beat...
- 2/21/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
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