Burabay, a popular lake resort in northern Kazakhstan, has hosted the 10th edition of the ‘Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art’ festival, which ran from 29 November to 2 December.
The annual gathering, arranged by the London-based Eurasian Creative Guild (ECG), has become one of Central Asia’s events for cultural collaboration, bringing together writers, filmmakers, visual artists and musicians from 20 countries.
This year’s programme continued the festival’s mix of literature and modern arts, with an emphasis for 2025 on emerging film talent, through the youth-focused Cinema Future festival and the Burabay International Short Film Festival (BISFF).
According to filmmaker and BISFF jury member Timur Akhmedjanov, “Young filmmakers from different countries on one screen [means] the birth of a new generation of cinema.”
Alongside film events, the festival featured book presentations from publishers Hertfordshire Press, discussions about art, performances by an international community choir, and creative workshops hosted at the ECG Horizons residency.
Organisers emphasised that for the festival, collaboration is as important as presentation. “The festival grows like a living universe of ideas and emotions. Here everyone is a creator – and everyone feels that their voice matters,” said festival director and cultural projects author Taina Kaunis.
During the event’s closing ceremony, awards were presented to some figures shaping Eurasian culture, while the Eurasian Creative Guild announced a change in leadership ahead of its 2026 season.
Founder Marat Akhmedjanov, originally from Uzbekistan but now residing in Scotland, highlighted the organisation’s international ethos, saying: “Creativity knows no borders. We speak dozens of languages, yet understand each other perfectly.” ECG vice-chair Saltanat Khamzeyeva called it “the beginning of a big story” for cultural development in Central Asia.
The Guild underscores that the Burabay resort has become more than a picturesque location for a festival. Chair Francesca Mepham summed up its growing impact: “We see Eurasian creativity becoming a global voice – and this voice will only become stronger.”
