Gulnara Sarsenova

An independent single woman comes back home late at night accompanied by a man she met, who turns out to be the Writer. They spend a night together in her apartment. They both are infatuated and enchanted by each other. The Writer tells beautiful and romantic love fables, and the heroine, in return, tells him about her love sufferings and passionate love to two young men. The love story ends tragically – the heroine loses both men over one night. However the film ends unexpectedly, raising the question whether the Heroine's story is Writer's fiction or not? Did such woman really exist? Or is she just a fiction of the Writer?

Episodic television series Astana – My Love is a romantic love story, full of intrigue, drama and entwinement of a number of stories. It is a story about main character Erlan, who saw long successful life ahead of him, but he is betrayed by his best friend Abzal and thus has to start his life all over again. Another character is a Turkish beauty Inzhu who arrives to Astana and finds her happiness here. This story could only happen in this blessed and wonderful place – in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. Only owing to this new glorious energy that this city is charged with, the story of young couple becomes more like a fairy tale. Astana is also a character in the film. This is a story Astana connecting people and changing their fates.

The film Astana – my Love is a joint project of Kazakhfilm Studios named after Shaken Aymanov with the largest Asian TV company TRT (Turkey). Film Format: 12 episodes, 52 minutes each, shot in a new, state-of-the-art-format Red One (digital cinema).

This film tells the story of two main characters – Anatole, an elderly Frenchman and Abai, a young Kazakh, who met each other by the fate and providence in unexpected situation and they together found the solution for problems of their lives .

Once upon a time when he was a child, Anatole Lerby – an outstanding expert in the field of sound recording, appeared in the steppes of Kazakhstan. Tragic accident brought him down with a simple Kazakh Yearly who managed the little Frenchman to discover the most essential mysteries of life.

Little Frenchman grew up and became a world celebrity in the wonderful world of sounds – and he always remembered this gift he received in the steppes of Kazakhstan. After nearly fifty years, Anatole came back in Kazakhstan – and discovered a new strong power, majestic capital – Astana . And his gift gained new urgency.

But firstly, Anatole had to go through a new trial – and in this difficult path he was helped by the young guy Abay. He, along with Anatole, grasped the beauty and mystery of the Kazakh culture and Kazakh life – and Abai managed to solve his main problem with his beauty – wife Altynay .

This is a lyrical serene drama dedicated to love and loneliness. The peculiarity of the project lies in the fact that it was adapted from a well-known successful play by experienced and deep writer Yermek Amanshayev. The theatrical play "Balcony" was resumed in 2011 in Russian Academic theater named after Lermontov in Almaty considering that it is still of current interest and attraction to the audience. Film's subjects – love and loneliness – acquire new notion in the film. As distinct from predictable form of a gloomy and dark drama, this film's finale rejoices with principle heroine getting her balance of mind and satisfaction with herself. This finale is indeed rare and surely a noteworthy one. The film is a Kazakhstani and Russian co-production – Eurasia Film Production company and Interfest film company in person of renowned Renat Davletyarov

In 2008 Gulnara Sarsenova has received the international Asian Film Maker of the Year award at Pusan International Film Festival and the same year she was nominated for Oscar award with her film "Mongol" directed by Sergey Bodrov Sr. In 2005 and 2008 she was the organizer and general director for Eurasia International Film Festival and in 2010 she was the general director of the 2nd Kazakhstani-American Film Festival held in Almaty.

The film received a total of 53 awards at various International Film Festivals all over the world throughout 2008–2009.

She graduated from Kazakh State University in Almaty, majoring in journalism. She completed training courses at Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow. She received additional vocational education at the University of Phoenix in the United States. During 16 years she successfully worked in business structures. Gulnara is the founder of deluxe merchandise network Fantsuzskiy Dom ("French House") in Kazakhstan. She is also a founder of a popular newspaper Novaya Volna ("New Wave") and the Revue magazine. The subject of her PhD thesis is the aesthetics of youth television shows. In 2005 she founded her own production company Eurasia Film Production. She was awarded a French Bonaparte medal and a diploma of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the achievement in business.

Gulnara Sarsenova (Kazakh: Gúlnar Bolatqyzy Sársenova , born August 6, 1961) is a Kazakhstan film producer who has produced several award-winning films. She is the only Central Asian producer to receive the Best Asian Filmmaker award at Busan International Film Festival, one of the most significant film festivals in Asia, in 2008.