The Eurasia festival is crucial in bridging this gulf of understanding. For example, this year's essential programme was the Retrospective of Abdulla Karsakbayev (1926-83). Without the Eurasia festival, we wouldn't have easy access to the films of Karsakbayev, one of four founding fathers of Kazakh cinema. Karsakbayev worked in the difficult period of the Soviet times which imposed strict censorship. Yet his films were always rebellious, even his debut work, My Name is Kozha (1963). Told as a children's film, Kozha is a playful schoolboy who perpetually causes problems for his teachers. Yet his integrity keeps him honest and innocent. Stylistically, Karzakbayev uses animation and a fluid editing style that keeps this film remarkably fresh. It's no wonder that the West only discovered this film four years later in Cannes 1967 and still awarded it an Honourable Mention.