TCA Interviews - The Times Of Central Asia

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TCA Interviews

From Instagram to Hollywood: How Kazakhstan’s Yerlan Tanay Became a Sought-After Colorist

Kazakhstani colorist Yerlan Tanay has built an international career in post-production, working with major companies including The Mill and Company 3. Now based in Los Angeles and working freelance, he has experienced both the opportunities and instability of Hollywood’s highly competitive market. His long-term goal is to move further into feature films. Tanay career changed after he began sharing his work on Instagram, where he was approached about joining The Mill. In this interview with The Times of Central Asia, he explains how that move opened the door to Hollywood and what he learned inside leading post-production studios. TCA: You have worked as a colorist for eight years, including three years in Hollywood. You were initially invited to join the renowned British post-production company The Mill, which had an office in Los Angeles. How did they find you? Tanay: I was invited by Paul Yacono, the head of The Mill’s Los Angeles office. He is a well-known Australian colorist who has lived and worked in the United States for many years. He graded films for David Fincher and Chloé Zhao and also worked on major series such as House of Cards and music videos for international artists. We met on Instagram and spent almost two years simply communicating, following each other’s work, and occasionally discussing projects. Then one day, he wrote to me: “Would you like to have a Zoom call? We have an offer for you.” During the call, he asked whether I would consider moving to the United States. He then explained that a position had opened and that they were looking for a colorist from outside the American market; someone with a different professional background. It came as a complete surprise to me. TCA: So, Instagram literally changed your career? Tanay: Yes, absolutely. A producer once told me something very simple: “You do good work, but nobody knows who you are.” That was when I realized I needed somewhere to show my work. To be honest, I was skeptical about Instagram at first. I thought it was a platform where people posted pictures of food or makeup, not a place for a professional portfolio. But once I started posting my projects regularly, things gradually changed. My audience grew, people began noticing me, and then job offers started coming in. I was probably also fortunate to enter the platform at a time when professionals were only beginning to use Instagram actively for work. TCA: Last year, The Mill ran into financial difficulties and was sold and restructured. What changed for you? Tanay: I spent two very productive years there, but I had to leave together with the old team. After that, I received an offer from Company 3. To give you an idea, it is one of the companies that sets the standard for color grading in global cinema. If you ask any good cinematographer or director what Company 3 is, there is no need to explain it. Everyone knows the brand. You could say Company 3 is...

TCA Interviews

Interview: How Kazakhstan Plans to Finance Its Next Railway Expansion

Kazakhstan is preparing for the next phase of its railway expansion. Alongside the major lines already under construction, the authorities are considering new routes and upgrades to existing sections intended to increase network capacity, serve industrial producers, and accommodate growing transit volumes. Implementing those plans will require substantial investment. Some projects may be financed by the state, while others are expected to rely on private capital, international financial institutions, and public-private partnerships. Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport, Zhanibek Taizhanov, spoke to The Times of Central Asia about construction deadlines, proposed new routes, and whether the country’s railway priorities are beginning to shift. TCA: Kazakhstan is building several major railway projects at the same time. When are the main lines expected to be completed? Zhanibek Taizhanov: The Moyynty-Kyzylzhar and Darbaza-Maktaaral railway lines are scheduled to enter operation by the end of this year. Construction of the Bakhty-Ayagoz line is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. In addition, trial train operations began on the Almaty bypass line in December last year. The authorities previously instructed the Transport Ministry and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy to launch the Moyynty-Kyzylzhar and Darbaza-Maktaaral lines by the end of 2026 and commission Bakhty-Ayagoz by the end of 2027. TCA: The government has called for preparations for the next stage of railway development. Which projects is the ministry considering, and what needs are they intended to address? Zhanibek Taizhanov: The Ministry of Transport, together with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and the relevant government agencies, has been tasked with examining the next phase of railway infrastructure development, taking into account projected growth in freight flows, transit traffic, and the economy’s long-term needs. The projects under consideration include the construction of second tracks on the Arys-Kazaly section. The project is intended to increase the capacity and carrying capability of one of the key sections of the railway network, support sustained freight growth, and improve transport services for the country’s southern and western regions; construction of the Inderbor-Uralsk railway to improve regional connectivity, make freight transportation more efficient, and create additional opportunities for the industrial and logistics development of western Kazakhstan; modernization of the Kyzylzhar-Shubarkol-Yesil section, which would increase the capacity of a route used to transport coal and mining products and improve logistics for industrial enterprises; modernization of the Inderbor-Makat railway section to improve the transportation of oil, gas, and industrial cargo and develop transport infrastructure in the western regions; and development of railway infrastructure in the Karagaily industrial zone in the Karaganda Region to serve existing and planned production facilities, attract investment, and support the region’s industrial development. These projects are being examined because the railway network needs to develop in step with growing domestic, export, and transit freight volumes. Their implementation would increase infrastructure capacity, meet the needs of industry and logistics, and create additional conditions for the socioeconomic development of the regions. TCA: Existing projects largely expand transit and export routes, while many of the proposed lines are linked to industrial enterprises. Does this signal a...

TCA Interviews

Saving The Caspian Seal: An Interview with Assel Baimukanova

The Caspian seal is the only marine mammal native to the Caspian Sea and the world’s only seal species found exclusively in an inland body of water. Once numbering close to one million, its population has declined dramatically over the past century due to commercial hunting, habitat degradation, pollution, accidental entanglement in fishing gear, and climate change. Today, the species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Kazakh zoologist Assel Baimukanova has spent the past 13 years studying the Caspian seal alongside her father, renowned scientist Mirgaliy Baimukanov. Their work takes them to remote islands in the northern Caspian, where they spend weeks living in tents, monitoring the animals and collecting data essential to understanding the rapidly changing sea. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Baimukanova about how the Caspian seal coexists with offshore oil production, why scientists perform necropsies on dead animals, and what the future holds for the sea’s only endemic marine mammal. TCA: Assel, you have been studying the Caspian seal for 13 years. Since it is an endemic species found nowhere else in the world, are there many international researchers working on it, or is it studied mainly by Kazakh scientists? Baimukanova: The Caspian seal is indeed an endemic species, meaning it is found only in the Caspian Sea. But it is not studied only by our Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. Several research organizations, both in Kazakhstan and abroad, are involved in studying the species. Russian and Iranian scientists also work on the Caspian seal. In addition, we cooperate with researchers who study other seal species in Estonia, Finland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each of these countries has experience studying different pinniped species, so we regularly exchange expertise and research findings. Our cooperation with international colleagues was particularly active between 2005 and 2017, when we carried out a number of joint research projects. TCA: In your documentary film, you say that although the Caspian Sea is shared by several countries, Kazakhstan bears the greatest responsibility for protecting the Caspian sealbecause the species’ most important habitats are located in Kazakh waters. Baimukanova: Yes, that is true. In spring and autumn, up to 90% of the Caspian seal population may gather in Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea. In winter, the animals breed on the ice in the northern Caspian. Depending on ice conditions, breeding colonies may be located in either the Kazakh or Russian sectors. During spring and autumn, however, most seals are found in the shallow and hard-to-reach northeastern part of Kazakhstan’s sector of the sea. That is why the condition of our part of the Caspian is critical to the conservation of the species. TCA: But the ice cover is shrinking every year because of climate change. Should we already be worried, or is there no immediate cause for concern? Baimukanova: There is every reason to be concerned. Warm winters are becoming more common, while cold and severe winters are becoming increasingly rare. Ice still forms, but it...

Plastic Recycling

From Waste to Design: How UpKel Is Rethinking Plastic Recycling in Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan, much of the country’s plastic waste remains unsorted and ends up in landfills, while recycling infrastructure is limited. A growing number of local initiatives are treating discarded plastic as a usable material. One of them is UpKel, a circular design project that turns plastic waste into custom accessories and home decor. The Times of Central Asia spoke with UpKel founder Chinara Sultanalieva about plastic recycling in Kyrgyzstan and how design and local production can support a circular economy. She also discussed the obstacles holding back the sector. TCA: Tell us a bit about UpKel. How did the project start, and when did you realize you wanted to work in plastic recycling? Chinara: For almost 10 years, I worked in the corporate sector. I liked my job. I analyzed complex financial, management, and economic data and presented it to lenders, investors, and local communities. I also prepared sustainability reports, which let me see how the value created by a business could be distributed in the interests of employees and affected communities. Still, I always wanted to do something more meaningful. In 2019, I was selected to take part in the Community Solutions Program in the U.S. and spent four months at an environmental NGO in Seattle, Washington. I was struck by how much importance is placed there on environmental protection and public health, and by how local organizations support environmental initiatives and, importantly, keep people informed about upcoming changes in legislation. I was also impressed by the waste management system in the U.S. For example, Washington state alone had more than 80 organic waste recycling facilities. In one nearby city, compost was made from sludge produced by the wastewater treatment system, and the local zoo composted animal manure. I was especially interested in composting toilet systems, which I later introduced in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, I understood that working directly with organic waste would be difficult and would likely face resistance from society. So I decided to start with plastic waste recycling. Plastic is visible, easier to measure, and recycling markets for it already exist, unlike for organics or mixed materials. Also, with this material, even a small-scale production operation can create a local circular economy without needing heavy industrial infrastructure. TCA: Why did you choose plastic specifically, and how did the UpKel model take shape? Chinara: Plastic waste remains a major part of environmental pollution. It is highly visible and can take hundreds of years to break down, possibly even longer than current estimates suggest. I was already familiar with the international Precious Plastic movement and had visited Rocket Plastic in Almaty, which operates on that model. So after returning to Kyrgyzstan, I founded the public foundation EcoFem to promote responsible resource use and gender equality. With support from a U.S. Embassy grant, I launched the country’s first workshop producing items from recycled plastic based on the Precious Plastic model. The workshop was set up to process four types of plastic waste. There are seven plastic categories...

TCA Interviews

Kazakhstan Seeking to Turn Transit Routes Into Investment Growth, Vice Minister Says

The development of transport and logistics has become one of the main priorities of Kazakhstan's economic policy as the country seeks to turn its position between China, Russia, the Caspian Sea, and Europe into long-term growth. Government transport data show the broader transport and warehousing sector grew in January-May 2026, although rail freight and cargo turnover remained under pressure. Large-scale rail, road, port, warehouse, and digital projects now sit at the center of that effort. The sector requires tens of billions of dollars in investment, while the reshaping of Eurasian supply chains since 2022 has raised the importance of the Middle Corridor and Caspian-linked routes. Can Kazakhstan attract the capital needed to implement large-scale infrastructure projects? How will changing investment priorities affect regional development? And how could new investment reshape the country's transport market? The Times of Central Asia discussed these questions with Maksat Kaliakparov, vice minister of transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan. TCA: How would you assess the current investment attractiveness of Kazakhstan's transport sector? How much foreign investment has the industry attracted recently? Maksat Kaliakparov: The investment attractiveness of the sector is high and continues to strengthen. In 2025 alone, gross foreign direct investment into Kazakhstan's economy reached $20.5 billion, an increase of 14.4% compared with the previous year. Investment is increasingly flowing into transport and logistics alongside manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and the financial sector. The transportation and warehousing sector was among the country's fastest-growing industries in January-May 2026, expanding by 8.4%. Investor interest is also reflected in the fact that, in 2025, Kazakhstan signed 88 commercial agreements worth more than $69.5 billion with partners from China, the UAE, the United States, and European countries. A significant share of these funds will be directed toward transport and logistics projects. More broadly, Kazakhstan's investment policy framework includes a target of increasing annual foreign direct investment inflows to $25.5 billion while raising investment in fixed capital to 25.1% of GDP. TCA: Which segments of the industry are currently attracting the greatest investor interest: railways, highways, aviation, ports, warehousing, or digital logistics? Which areas will require the largest investments in the coming years? Maksat Kaliakparov: Investor interest is spread across several major segments. Railways remain a key priority. Kazakhstan is implementing modernization and new construction projects, including the recently commissioned Dostyk-Moyynty railway section, as well as the Darbaza-Maktaaral and Moyynty-Kyzylzhar lines. By 2030, the country plans to build or modernize approximately 5,000 kilometers of railway infrastructure. Maritime and port logistics are also attracting substantial investment. Expansion is underway at the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, while a new container hub in Aktau is being built with the participation of China's Lianyungang Port Group. The project is expected to increase capacity to 240,000 TEU by the end of 2026. Road infrastructure has secured a landmark private investment through the Car Park Transformer roadside service network. Warehouse and multimodal logistics continue to develop, including through Kazakhstan's terminal at Georgia's Port of Poti. Digitalization is another important area. In particular, the pilot Smart...

Art and Culture

Kanybek Kalmatov Interview: Kyrgyz Director Takes on Chinghiz Aitmatov

At 25, Kanybek Kalmatov is taking on a subject many older directors might have avoided: Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstan’s most internationally recognized writer and a figure deeply embedded in the country’s cultural identity. Kalmatov, a cinematographer and graduate of VGIK, the prestigious Moscow film school, is making his directorial debut with Aitmatov, billed as Kyrgyzstan’s first full-length feature film about the writer’s life and career. The project has already drawn attention beyond Kyrgyzstan, not least because Russian actor Sergey Bezrukov has joined the cast. For Kalmatov, the film is also personal. He first encountered Aitmatov as a schoolboy through The Little Soldier, and later found that even at film school in Moscow, Kyrgyzstan was often viewed through the writer’s name. Now, after months of research and nearly a year spent developing the screenplay, he says he is ready to take on a life that one film can only partly contain. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Kalmatov about why he chose a biopic rather than an adaptation, how he approached Aitmatov’s life at such a young age, and why he hopes the film will send younger viewers back to the writer’s books. TCA: You have chosen an ambitious project for your directorial debut. How did the film come about? Kanybek Kalmatov: Since childhood, there have been two stories I always dreamed of filming. The first is about my parents, because they have an incredible love story. The second is about Aitmatov. It wasn’t only his works that fascinated me. It was the scale of his personality, how determined he was and how many different things he managed to do at the same time. I fell in love with Aitmatov when I was about 12, after reading The Little Soldier. It’s about a boy whose father died in the war. Since then, Aitmatov’s works have always stayed with me. Even at VGIK, where I studied, people often saw me through that lens: “You’re from Kyrgyzstan? The homeland of Aitmatov?” For us, he’s not just a writer; he’s part of our cultural code. So I felt that, sooner or later, this film was bound to enter my life. TCA: Were you afraid the project might not work? Kanybek Kalmatov: No. Probably because I believe strongly in intention. Any big undertaking starts with that. If your motivation is right and you understand why you’re doing it, things begin to fall into place. From the start, my intention was pure. I never saw this film as a way to gain fame or prove something to anyone. I wanted to tell the story honestly of someone who means so much to our culture. TCA: Don’t you think one has to “grow into” Aitmatov first? Kanybek Kalmatov: There are topics you need to mature into. But if you wait for the perfect moment, you may never make anything at all. Maybe if I waited another 15 years, I would approach this story differently. Or maybe I’d never dare. Personally, I respect people who aren’t afraid...