Jamilia, which has its UK premiere at Open City Documentary Festival on September 9th, explores the heroine of Chingiz Aitmatov’s novel. Thanks to SAQI Books we have three copies of the novel, labelled ‘The most beautiful love story in the world’ by French poet Louis Aragon, to be won.

To enter the competition;

• Click on the ‘Going’ button in our Jamilia Facebook event & post a comment in the event.

OR

• Follow us on Twitter @OpenCityDocs and retweet our post about the event.

Book tickets to see Jamilia here

Recorded in Kyrgyzstan, artist filmmaker Aminatou Echard’s first feature length work searches for Jamilia, the eponymous heroine of Chingiz Aitmatov’s classic 1958 novel about a young woman who, having been abducted and forced to marry, fled with her lover. Fifty years after the book’s publishing, Echard travels to meet several generations of Kyrgyz women. The film that resulted from her research is a delicate and impressionistic Super 8 portrait of the country reflected through the prism of their stories, exploring a culture where the patriarchal system curbs their freedom to work, desire, love, live or dream, yet resistance remains.

The film will be followed by a Q&A with director Aminatou Echard, hosted by Jo Duncombe. In partnership with Bird’s Eye View.

T’s & C’s

• Competition closes September 3.
• Prizes must be collected from the festival hub in central London during the festival, September 4-9.