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On April 20, the premiere of the documentary film “Crossing the Iron Barrier,” directed by Iranian journalist Amirhoushang Danai, was held at the community center of the Almaly district.

The documentary tells the story of the migration of Kazakhs from the Mangystau region to Iran between 1928 and 1932 following the establishment of Soviet power in Kazakhstan. It highlights that the migration was caused by the severe famine resulting from collectivization, as well as the unwillingness of some Kazakhs to accept the Soviet ban on religion. The film includes interviews with ethnic Kazakhs who returned to their homeland after independence, as well as those who still live in Iran. It also presents materials depicting the everyday life of Kazakhs residing in Iran.

The film features interviews with faculty members of the Faculty of Oriental Studies — Islam Zhemenei, Galiya Kambarbekova, and Zubaida Shadkam. Senior lecturer of the Department of the Middle East and South Asia, Bakytkul Bazarkulova, edited the Kazakh text of the film, while second-year master’s student Gauhar Omarkhanova participated in the dubbing process.

This documentary film can be considered a new contribution to the study of Iran–Kazakhstan relations, and we hope that work in this direction will continue in the future.

 Aiman Boranbayeva

Head of the Iranian Studies Department