Kazakh–Korean Action Film KESU Sets Sights on South Korean Cinemas

A Kazakh former special forces officer and a South Korean taekwondo champion find themselves on the same side when their shared mentor disappears. Their search takes them from Kazakhstan to Seoul, where they become entangled in a dangerous conflict rooted in their teacher's past. This is the story of KESU, a Kazakhstan–South Korea action film directed by Daulet Zhumabayev that opened in Kazakhstan on October 15. The film topped the country's box office during its opening weekend, earning approximately 77 million tenge ($160,000), according to Forbes Kazakhstan. The film was commissioned by the Kazakhstan Taekwondo Federation, whose president, Kudret Shamiyev, served as its principal producer. Shamiyev has said the project aims to attract young people to taekwondo and present the sport as a philosophy and a way of life. The film stars Asylkhan Tolepov as Didar, a former special forces officer haunted by a fatal mission. South Korean actor Joo Woo Geon plays Ryu, a taekwondo champion visiting Kazakhstan for a tournament. Merey Makazhan plays Asiya, who also becomes involved in their increasingly dangerous adventure. KESU opens with a special forces raid before shifting to taekwondo competition and confrontations with criminal gangs. The film is Zhumabayev's second feature, following the boxing drama Arlan: The Final Round. Video: Kesu Official Trailer Taekwondo's History in Kazakhstan The story also pays tribute to Mustafa Öztürk, an ethnic Kazakh martial artist born in Türkiye who helped establish taekwondo in Kazakhstan in the early 1990s. Öztürk founded the Kazakhstan Taekwondo Federation in 1991 and trained some of the country's first international competitors. He died in 1995, but his name remains closely associated with the development of the sport. A memorial tournament honoring Öztürk features in the film. Although KESU is fictional, its connection to Öztürk provides a historical backdrop to the collaboration between Kazakh and Korean filmmakers. The fight choreography was directed by Zhandos Aibasov, working with Kazakhstan's Nomad Stunts team. The action draws heavily on taekwondo techniques, particularly its kicks and spinning attacks, while incorporating the elaborate confrontations familiar from Asian martial-arts cinema. The fight sequences have attracted favorable reviews. Writing for Vlast, film critic Galiya Baizhanova praised the choreography and the clarity with which the fights were filmed. She also highlighted the film's treatment of taekwondo as a discipline grounded in self-control and respect for opponents. In a separate review for 365info, Aisulu Basenova highlighted the film's combination of taekwondo, Korean crime drama, and family relationships. Both reviewers singled out the action sequences choreographed by Zhandos Aibasov and Nomad Stunts. Zhumabayev recently spoke to The Times of Central Asia about directing the international cast. He described how Tolepov helped his South Korean co-star settle into the production and how the visiting actors were introduced to Kazakh traditions, including a trip to Shymbulak and a meal of beshbarmak. The Korean actors also underwent physical training, studied Kazakh, and rehearsed demanding scenes. Zhumabayev said he applied the same standards to actors from both countries. A South Korean Release The filmmakers are now looking to bring...

Kazakh Director Daulet Zhumabayev on New Film Kesu and Pursuing a Career in Hollywood

Kazakh director Daulet Zhumabayev hopes to bring his new action film, Kesu, featuring South Korean actors, to South Korean theaters. The film was released in Kazakhstan on October 15. It follows a Kazakh taekwondo practitioner and a South Korean champion as they travel to Seoul in search of their missing mentor. The film is Zhumabayev’s second feature, following the sports drama Arlan: The Final Round. Zhumabayev focuses on mainstream genre films and sees international collaboration as an opportunity to reach audiences beyond Kazakhstan. His debut feature became available on Amazon Prime Video, although he does not consider a streaming release equivalent to breaking into the American market. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Zhumabayev discussed working with South Korean actors, the prospects for international film production, his experience studying abroad, and why Kazakhstan may find it difficult to replicate Korean cinema’s success in Hollywood. TCA: Your new film, Kesu, features both Kazakh and South Korean actors. Did you have to change your directing approach when working with an international cast? Daulet Zhumabayev: No, I worked with everyone the same way. I don’t really have a fully developed directing system yet. I have my own methods for trying to communicate to actors what I want to achieve. I’ve taken some things from Judith Weston’s book Directing Actors, others from the Stanislavski method, and still others I’ve come up with intuitively. I gave both groups of actors the same kind of direction, and everyone understood perfectly well what I wanted from them. TCA: How did you build relationships between the Kazakh and Korean members of the film crew? Zhumabayev: That’s very important. And I’m extremely grateful to our lead actor, Asylkhan Tolepov, for the way he supported his Korean co-star, Ben (Joo Woo Geon). From the very beginning, we tried to create a particular atmosphere. When the Korean actors arrived in Kazakhstan, we didn’t just put them up in a hotel and provide meals. We welcomed them as real guests. We took them to Shymbulak, treated them to beshbarmak, and introduced them to our traditions. We wanted them to experience Kazakh hospitality and never feel like outsiders here, not even for a second. That immediately set the tone for our relationship. They could see that we treated them warmly and sincerely, that we cared not only about getting good performances from them but also about making their stay in Kazakhstan comfortable. And I think that probably motivated them to give their best on set as well. TCA: Did you make any allowances for the foreign actors during filming? Zhumabayev: None whatsoever. I expected complete dedication from them. They trained in the gym, learned Kazakh, and prepared for difficult scenes. We treated them as guests, but we worked as one team, with everyone having their own responsibilities. They’re very respectful and attentive. After filming ended, they all sent me warm messages thanking me for working together. They said they’d felt comfortable working with me and had learned a lot themselves....