The Fall of Otrar

The Fall of Otrar

Directed by Ardak Amirkulov • 1991 • Kazakhstan
Starring Dokhdurbek Kydyraliyev, Tungyshbai Dzhamankulov, Bolot Beyshenaliyev

Kazakh New Wave iconoclast Ardak Amirkulov’s hypnotic thirteenth-century epic is a feverish vision of one of history’s most decisive battles—Genghis Khan’s siege of the now-lost city of Otrar—engraved in images of stunning, hallucinatory power. When his warnings about an imminent invasion are taken for insolence, a former Mongol scout (Dokhdurbek Kydyraliyev) must escape imprisonment to stop an escalating diplomatic crisis and avert a clash of civilizations. With a panoramic scope that encompasses intimate palace intrigue and the merciless sweep of battlefield carnage, THE FALL OF OTRAR is a monumental imagining of seismic historical upheaval—and a terrifying, electrifying feast for the senses.

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The Fall of Otrar
  • The Fall of Otrar
    2:37:36
    The Fall of Otrar

    The Fall of Otrar

    Directed by Ardak Amirkulov • 1991 • Kazakhstan
    Starring Dokhdurbek Kydyraliyev, Tungyshbai Dzhamankulov, Bolot Beyshenaliyev

    Kazakh New Wave iconoclast Ardak Amirkulov’s hypnotic thirteenth-century epic is a feverish vision of one of history’s most decisive battles—Genghis Khan’s siege of the n...

Extras

  • Martin Scorsese on THE FALL OF OTRAR
    04:51
    Martin Scorsese on THE FALL OF OTRAR

    Martin Scorsese on THE FALL OF OTRAR

    This short program, produced by the Criterion Collection in 2025, features Martin Scorsese, founder of The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project.

  • The Making of THE FALL OF OTRAR
    23:40
    The Making of THE FALL OF OTRAR

    The Making of THE FALL OF OTRAR

    This program, produced by the Criterion Collection in 2025, features interviews with director Ardak Amirkulov; actor Tungyshbai Dzhamankulov, who plays the character of Kairkhan; art director Umirzak Shmanov; and film journalist Gulnara Abikeyeva.

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