- Film in Kyrgyzstan
- Films shot in Kyrgyzstan
15Films shot in KyrgyzstanUpdated: 2026-10-20
Films, series and music videos shot in Kyrgyzstan
Movies filmed in Kyrgyzstan include Netflix series, a Bollywood feature, British and Australian documentaries, Indian, German and Kazakh music videos, and Kyrgyz films that went to Cannes, Locarno and the Oscars. Below is a list of projects whose filming in Kyrgyzstan is confirmed by public sources, with the locations they used. It is not complete: tell us if you know a project that should be here.
What international crews come to Kyrgyzstan for
The projects below use the same assets our location base is built on: Issyk-Kul as a sea, Tash-Rabat as the Silk Road, Ala-Archa and Kegeti as alpine gorges a short drive from the capital, Bishkek with its Soviet modernism, and nomadic culture with eagle hunters and kok-boru. Several of them were shot with local crew and equipment, which is what Film in Kyrgyzstan assembles for a foreign production.
Formats range from a Netflix reality series and a feature film to a three-minute music video. Most foreign shoots in Kyrgyzstan are commercials, music videos and documentaries: short, mobile units that benefit most from a local partner who handles locations, crew, transport and permits.
A new documentary series, Off Road, filmed in Kyrgyzstan by Faraway Road Productions, has premiered on the global streaming platform Netflix.
Thanks to the release of Off Road, millions of viewers around the world will discover the stunning nature of Kyrgyzstan and the traditional warmth of our people.
International productions (20)
| Title | Year | Type | Produced in | Shot in Kyrgyzstan at | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond the Silk Road | 2026 | Documentary | UK (Blink Films) | Tash-Rabat caravanserai, Bishkek, a horseback crossing in the western highlands | Dominic West and Clarke Peters with Alexandra Tolstoy; 90-minute film and two-part version, premiered in London in February 2026. | [1] [2] |
| Спасти бессмертного (Save the Immortal) | 2026 | Feature film | Russia / Belarus | Talas region, mountain passes, about 1,000 km of route | Dir. Pavel Ignatov, from the producers of the 'We Are from the Future' films; released February 2026. | [1] [2] |
| Off Road | 2025 | Series | Israel / USA (Netflix) | Bishkek, Issyk-Kul, Karakol, high valleys; also Kazakhstan | Six-episode reality travel series with Lior Raz and Rotem Sela (Faraway Road Productions, Keshet International); on Netflix from July 2025. | [1] [2] |
| What a Wonderful World (cover) | 2025 | Music video | UAE | Kegeti Gorge | Country singer Sheridan Brass. | [1] |
| Seven Tribes, Seven Fathers | 2024 | Documentary | Australia | Bishkek, kok-boru, eagle hunting | Dir. Peter Davis; premiered in London in October 2024. | [1] |
| The Desperate End (short); Operator 5 (feature, in development) | 2024 | Short film | UK | Bishkek | Dir. Robin A. Townsend with KG Pictures; the short won more than 20 international awards, the sci-fi feature was announced in October 2025. | [1] [2] |
| Scar | 2023 | Feature film | India | Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, Bishkek | Adam Saini, Sneha Ullal. | [1] |
| Brand film about Kyrgyz honey (Fulmer Apiary) | 2023 | Commercial | Hungary | Toktogul district, Jalal-Abad region | Shown at the Hungarian-Kyrgyz forum in Budapest in February 2023. | [1] |
| Human Playground | 2022 | Series | Netherlands / UK (Netflix) | Kyrgyzstan segment on salbuurun hunting and eagle hunters (episode 2) | Documentary series about 30 countries narrated by Idris Elba; Kyrgyz segment filmed in 2021. | [1] [2] |
| Escape | 2022 | Music video | Germany | Bishkek: the Dom Torgovli, the Issyk-Kul hotel, Alamedin bazaar | Berlin rapper Yeshe. | [1] |
| Крепче держи | 2021 | Music video | Kazakhstan | Bishkek, Gapar Aitiev National Museum of Fine Arts | Singer Aikyn. | [1] |
| Torbaaz | 2020 | Feature film | India | Bishkek and surroundings; song sequences at Issyk-Kul | Sanjay Dutt, Nargis Fakhri, dir. Girish Malik. The first Hindi feature shot in Bishkek; released on Netflix in December 2020. | [1] [2] |
| Home Game, episode Kok Boru | 2020 | Series | USA (Netflix) | Kyrgyzstan, kok-boru matches | Episode 5 of the Netflix sports documentary series, released June 2020. | [1] [2] |
| Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure, episode 4 | 2018 | Series | UK (ITV) | Tian Shan eagle hunters, Tash-Rabat | Aired October 2018. | [1] |
| Black Eyes | 2018 | Music video | India (T-Series Apna Punjab) | Bishkek | Punjabi singer K John; about 3 million views. | [1] |
| Banjarey | 2017 | Music video | India / Pakistan | Issyk-Kul shore, mountains | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with Neetu Chandra; Kyrgyz komuz players in the frame. | [1] |
| Tum Hardafa | 2017 | Music video | India (Times Music) | Bishkek, Ala-Archa, Issyk-Kul | Ankit Tiwari with Aditi Arya (Miss India 2015). | [1] |
| Lost in Kyrgyzstan | 2016 | Short film | Italy | Son-Kul, Orto-Tokoy, Issyk-Kul, Karakol | 4K drone travel film by The Lost Avocado; National Geographic Traveler award 2017. | [1] [2] |
| Tengri, le bleu du ciel (Tengri: Blue Heavens) | 2008 | Feature film | France / Germany | Kyrgyz mountains | Dir. Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville; screened at Cannes (Cinéma de demain). | [1] [2] |
| Holidays in the Danger Zone: Meet the Stans, episode 2 | 2003 | Series | UK (BBC Two) | Route from the Chinese border southwards | Presented by Simon Reeve. | [1] |
Kyrgyz films that travelled the world (8)
| Title | Year | Type | Produced in | Shot in Kyrgyzstan at | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mergen | 2026 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan | Snow-covered Tian Shan | Neo-noir; premiered at IFFR 2026 (Rotterdam). | [1] |
| Кара, Кызыл, Сары (Black Red Yellow) | 2025 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan | Batken region | Dir. Aktan Arym Kubat; Golden Goblet at Shanghai IFF 2025; APSA Cultural Diversity Award 2025. | [1] |
| Сутак (Heavenly Nomadic) | 2015 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan | Turgen gorge near Issyk-Kul | Dir. Mirlan Abdykalykov; Kyrgyzstan's Oscar submission; APSA NETPAC Prize 2015. | [1] [2] |
| Курманжан Датка (Kurmanjan Datka: Queen of the Mountains) | 2014 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan | Several regions of Kyrgyzstan; the story is set in the Alay Valley | Dir. Sadyk Sher-Niyaz; budget about $1.5 million, the country's most expensive film; Kyrgyzstan's Oscar submission. | [1] [2] |
| Свет-Аке (The Light Thief) | 2010 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan with European co-producers | Kyrgyz village and steppe | Dir. Aktan Arym Kubat; Directors' Fortnight, Cannes 2010; Locarno, Toronto, Tribeca. | [1] |
| Сундук предков (The Wedding Chest) | 2006 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan / France / Germany / Russia | A village near Issyk-Kul; also Paris | Dir. Nurbek Egen; Kyrgyzstan's first Oscar submission; Karlovy Vary 2006. | [1] [2] |
| Бешкемпир (Beshkempir / The Adopted Son) | 1998 | Feature film | Kyrgyzstan / France | Village of Bar-Bulak | Dir. Aktan Arym Kubat; Silver Leopard at Locarno 1998. | [1] |
| Первый учитель (The First Teacher) | 1965 | Feature film | USSR (Kirghizfilm / Mosfilm) | Kirghiz SSR, near Frunze (today Bishkek) | Andrei Konchalovsky's debut after Chingiz Aitmatov; Volpi Cup at Venice for Natalya Arinbasarova. | [1] |
Frequently asked questions
01Where can you film in Kyrgyzstan?
Kyrgyzstan has seven regions with very different landscapes within one shooting period: alpine lakes such as Issyk-Kul and Son-Kul, red sandstone canyons, glaciers and peaks above 4,000 m, walnut and spruce forests, steppe, Silk Road monuments and Soviet-era towns. Our location base covers 70 locations across all seven regions, and we run custom location scouts for a specific script.
02Can a project be shot entirely remotely?
Yes. We organise everything on the ground, from crew, cast and equipment to locations, paperwork and logistics, while you approve each stage remotely: brief, estimate, locations, casting and shooting plan. We send recce photos and video from the locations and stay in contact from the set.
03Can we bring our own team?
Of course. We don’t have to do everything. You can come with your own crew, and we step in where a local partner is needed: location scouting, casting, equipment, transport, permits, a local production crew — or the entire production.
Didn’t find the right location?
We can run a location scout specifically for your script.
Updated: 2026-10-20