Department of “Directing of Screen Arts”

Educational programs

Teaching staff

Abishev Serik Yerzhanovich

Head of the Department

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The Department of Screen Arts Directing carries out its educational activities in accordance with the state compulsory standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan, approved by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, under the following educational programs:

Bachelor’s degree:

• 6B02184 — “Directing” (The trajectory: film directing, television directing);
• 6B02177 — “Production of Television and Film Projects.”

Master’s degree:

• 7M02184 — “Directing” (academic and pedagogical track);
• 7M02154 — “Film and Television Directing” (profile track).

Doctoral degree:

• 8D02184 — “Film and Television Directing.”

The department has an approved faculty establishment of 21 academic staff members, of whom 19 are full-time and 2 are part-time. Among them: professors — 3 (all Honored Workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan), associate professors — 6 (including 1 associate professor confirmed by the Higher Attestation Commission), PhDs — 4, Masters of Arts — 6. The share of faculty holding an academic degree or academic title is approximately 62%.

Among the department’s faculty are 4 Honored Workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, holders of state awards: the Order “Barys,” 3rd class, the Order “Parasat” (2 people), the Order “Kurmet” (3 people), the medal “Eren Enbegi Ushin” (For Distinguished Labor) (3 people), and the honorary title “Madeniet Salasynyn Uzdigi” (Best of the Cultural Sphere) (2 people).

Department Goals

Training highly qualified directors and producers capable of creating professional content for film and television.

Forming a national school of directing that combines the traditions of Kazakhstani and world cinema with modern production technologies.

Developing the creative, research and production potential of the screen arts field.

Contributing to the development of national film and television, and promoting Kazakhstani culture through cinematic means.

Integrating education, practice and industry to train competitive film and television production specialists.

Educational Objectives

Developing and improving educational programs in fiction and documentary film and television directing, as well as in producing audiovisual projects.

Building students’ competencies in dramaturgy, directing, working with actors, editing, producing and managing the production process.

Training graduates capable of independently realizing feature-length and television projects from concept to release.

Research Objectives

Conducting research in the theory and history of directing, film language, and new technologies and artificial intelligence in film production.

Developing new methods for teaching, directing and producing.

Supporting the research, creative and dissertation projects of students, master’s students and doctoral candidates.

Creative and Production Objectives

Creating original fiction, documentary and television projects through the efforts of students and faculty.

Realizing students’ debut projects, including with the support of the State Center for Support of National Cinema (SCSNC).

Participating in national and international film festivals, competitions and pitching sessions.

Industry and Partnership Objectives

Cooperating with industry partners, including “Kazakhfilm” Shaken Aimanov National Film Studio JSC, Tanaris Production, and the “Almaty” Almaty City TV and Radio Company (state communal enterprise), as well as with the production companies run by department faculty, where students regularly complete internships.

Developing a partnership network for graduate employment and joint production projects.

Promoting Kazakhstani film and television as part of the country’s creative economy.

Sociocultural Objectives

Cultivating a generation of directors and producers who shape Kazakhstan’s cultural identity through the art of the screen.

Supporting young authors and debut film projects.

Engaging a broad audience with Kazakhstani cinema through student screenings and festival projects.