“Invisible Traces aims not only to shift the perception of ala kachuu (bride kidnapping) from a normalized ‘tradition’ to a recognized form of gender-based violence, but also to validate the lived experience of those affected,” renowned docmaker Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva tells BDE of her new feature project, presenting May 12 in DocsBarcelona Industry as a Rough Cut pitch.
In the film, cinematographer Alina arrives in a Kyrgyz village to film a documentary about bride kidnapping. She lives with 78-year-old Asylkan, who was abducted at 18, and has lived with her abductor ever since. As the past begins to surface and the threat of violence feels close, a local theatre re-enacts a kidnapping in a village yurt. Asylkan steps into the performance and changes its course. Over the final credits, other elderly women speak. Each one was also kidnapped.
“Invisible Traces is the first documentary about bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan that centers on elderly women – not as background figures or symbols of tradition, but as protagonists,” says Nurzhamal. “These are women who were abducted in their youth, spent their lives with their kidnappers, and in some cases, later helped others repeat the same act. They live in one village, they know each other, and many are related – to each other, and to us. “
It is also a deeply personal project foe the filmmakers. Nurzhamal’s mother was kidnapped at the age of eighteen. Co-director Sultan’s relative Asylkan – the main protagonist of the film – was kidnapped in 1965 and lived her entire life in silence. Many other women in the village of Manas are also Sultan’s distant relatives.
“This is not a story we discovered – it’s a story we inherited,” Nurzhamal adds. “The project is unique not only in its subject, but in its form. It blends observational documentary with immersive, participatory theater. We collaborated with Theater 705, an independent experimental venue in Bishkek, to stage a bride kidnapping in front of an audience. What followed was unexpected: women intervened, rewrote the outcome, and began to speak – sometimes for the first time in their lives.”
“In Kyrgyz media and cultural discourse, elderly women are rarely visible – especially in discussions about gender-based violence. Our film challenges this silence by giving them space to be complex: not just wise, but wounded, angry, funny, contradictory – and ready to confront their own past.”
The rough cut of the film is completed, with €10,000 of the €60,000 left to source. “This positions the project as low-risk, high-readiness, with limited financing needed to reach delivery,” says Nurzhamal. “The scale of the budget also supports flexibility in sales and distribution.”
Unsurprisingly, impact is central both to the film and its distribution strategy.
“Invisible Traces aims not only to shift the perception of ala kachuu (bride kidnapping) from a normalized ‘tradition’ to a recognized form of gender-based violence, but also to validate the lived experience of those affected and open space for discussion of intergenerational trauma in societies shaped by silence and stigma,” says Nurzhamal.
“The film is grounded in the understanding that recognition and articulation are the first steps toward healing. During the filming process, many of the protagonists spoke about their experiences for the first time. Through this act of voicing, they began to reclaim agency, feeling heard and acknowledged,” she adds. “We see the film as a catalyst for dialogue — creating conditions where personal histories can be shared, recognized, and re-examined, both within communities and in wider public discourse.”
“The project has already demonstrated impact at the production stage, where the re-enactment triggered immediate reflection and open dialogue among participants.”
The impact campaign will be conducted on multiple levels: community screenings in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in rural areas; partnerships with NGOs and educational institutions; regional engagement across Central Asia, where similar practices persist; international positioning within gender and human rights frameworks.
“Festival strategy is key to this work. A strong international premiere will generate visibility, connect the film to advocacy networks, and accelerate its impact by bringing the issue into public and policy discourse,” Nurzhamal ends.
