Kazakh Film Honored at Estonia’s PÖFF Festival

The Kazakh film Becoming received a prestigious award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information announced.

The feature was honored during the festival’s closing gala, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kazakh media.

Becoming centers on 17-year-old Mila, who joins an open-water swimming team in a bid for independence and to escape family turmoil. The protagonist faces a pivotal choice that threatens to change her destiny forever.

The cast features Tamiris Zhangazinova, Assel Kaliyeva, Medina Sagindykova, and Lithuanian actor Valentin Novopolskij.

Director and producer Zhannat Alshanova took home the Award for Best Baltic Producer for Co-production.

The world premiere of Becoming took place in August 2025 at the Locarno Film Festival, one of Europe's most prestigious film platforms. The film subsequently screened at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.