Waiting For the Sea - A Profound Techno-Infused Journey Into the Uzbek Desert
The Calvert Journal Film Festival: 7 days of New East cinema online is a journey across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia through the lens of the region’s independent filmmakers.
The festival will feature 7 films, screened online for free here from 12 to 18 October; each day a different film will be available for 24h - starting with Waiting For the Sea tomorrow, Monday 12 October from 7pm BST at this link.
From director George Itzhak comes a thought-provoking study of the Aral sea in Uzbekistan in Central Asia. The body of water, once the fourth largest lake in the world, has shrunk dramatically since the 1960s, as a result of Soviet authorities directing its many rivers away to irrigation projects. Waiting for the Sea not only highlights the scale of the environmental disaster but grapples with the identity of the local community and its relationship to the lake, now almost mythic in status. The crisp footage of arid landscapes and rusted, useless boats sitting on dry land is at once hauntingly beautiful and sad.
Through one local fisherman’s story, we learn the history of the local area in the autonomous region of Uzbekistan called Karakalpakstan. Tradespeople from Russia, neighbouring Kazakhstan and elsewhere flocked to the Aral sea in the early 20th Century, making livings off the lake itself. As Soviet practice began to leave large parts of the Aral drained, many left these settlements. Few remained, occupying communities such as Moynaq - once a bustling fishing port but now effectively turned into a ghost town by the ecological collapse. The sea has receded from these places; today, many locals pray and wait for the Aral to return.
Though now an almost completely dried up landmass, Itzhak’s narrative follows the attempt to breathe life into this forgotten space. We learn that a DJ from Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, came up with the outlandish idea of hosting a festival on the former site of this great lake. The intention of this was to not only bring attention to the plight of the Aral but to bring the healing power of live music to a community left behind. Thus, Stihia festival was born and ran successfully in 2018. Though Uzbekistan has a music scene of sorts, this is mostly centred in Tashkent - the Karakalpakstan region had seen nothing close to this prior to Stihia. The documentary acts as a DJ set - teasing music and festival footage, slowly building up to a celebratory release of dance and techno.
Waiting for the Sea particularly shines as a visual piece, with the endearing imagery of the country telling much of the story. The stars, the orange sand, the traditional clothes all bring out the boldness of the project and the vibrancy of the music. What is particularly striking in the footage of revellers at Stihia is the amount of children and families present - reflecting the local customs of the Karakalpaks. The festival exists as a place to bond with music and forget about life, and at the same time remember what once would have been, right where you are dancing, laughing, sweating. The contrasts between the old and the new, the traditional and modern are not as disparate as one might think, instead acting in tandem. Both locals and ravers from elsewhere are looking for something, searching for a home or an answer. The symbiosis is simply inspiring.
What stands out in the documentary is the personal stakes of everyone involved. The land means so much, as does the music and the escape. Similarly, the ambitious project of the DJs and organisers was a feat. The stillness of the area, the brightness of the colours in the desert, the Soviet relics all create an atmosphere in the production which leaves you heavily invested in this hitherto unknown issue. Itzhak’s success also stems from his own story - coming from an Uzbek background but with no sense of familiarity about the country, having been brought up in New York. The gentleness of the interviews and the slow-motion footage of the festival speaks to the quiet and profound connection the director has with this place. It is truly fascinating how the shamanic, tribal elements of the festival bring about a kind of magic in the well-shot footage.
As one of Stihia’s organisers explains, where there was once a sea - there now at least has been a sea of people. Though hopeful, the documentary ends on a bittersweet note, as the old fisherman walks slowly into what is left of the sea, wishing, praying, but above all simply waiting for its magnificent return.
The Calvert Journal Film Festival: 7 days of New East cinema online is a journey across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia through the lens of the region’s independent filmmakers.
The festival will feature 7 films, screened online for free here from 12 to 18 October; each day a different film will be available for 24h - starting with Waiting For the Sea tomorrow, Monday 12 October from 7pm BST at this link.
