Yermek AmanshayevYermek Amanshayev, born in 1963, is an established playwright, director, producer, author and essayist. His own dramatic works performed in Kazakhstan's leading theatres, include 'Broken Lullaby' and 'Behind the Hill', as well as three plays inspiredby ' One Thousand and One Nights': 'Where the Earthly Heaven Lies', 'Caliph for an Hour' and 'The Star of Aladdin'. His dramatization of Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' was equally successful. As a theatre director, he is best known for his adaptation of D. Coburn's 'The Gin Game', staged by the M.Auezov Theatre. Amanshayev made his debut as a film director on 'Parallel Worlds'; an independent film which has attracted audiences some 200 thousand viewers throughout Russia and Kazakhstan. He also co-produced some of his country's most popular films, including 'Brave', 'The Tale of the Pink Hare' and 'Shal' As Head of the National Film Studio, 'Kazakhfilm' for seven years, his name has become synonymous with the renaissance of modern Kazakh cinema and many of the films which won prestigious awards at film festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Venice, became major blockbusters. Amanshayev is the author of four novels: 'The Song of the Butterfly', 'The Legend of Albasty', 'Searching for Myth', and 'Fathers of Sons'. Read More Read Less