Nazarbaev Wants More 'Patriotic' Films

    Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev on March 14 called on the country's filmmakers to produce more "patriotic movies."
    Nazarbaev said too many domestic and foreign films center on an individual's problems and "we wish" they would show more about society.
    Nazarbaev said foreign films "seldom show the quest for knowledge, genuine friendship, true love, supporting one another, or simply a desire to work for the country, for the homeland."
    Nazarbaev had just watched a screening of the film "For the Sake of the Future," a reportedly true story based on the lives of several members of the pro-government youth group Bolashak.
    Also March 14, Bolashak members in Almaty focused their activities on cleaning up films they considered offensive.
    The group held a public burning of pornographic DVDs they said were available for sale at local bazaars.
    The group said they had previously alerted the country's prime minister and prosecutor general about the sale of "Kazakh porno" but no actions had been taken.
    Bolashak said vendors at bazaars now recognize them and quickly pack up their wares if they are selling such DVDs.
    Bolashak said they intend to carry out raids to stop the sale of such films, RFE/RL said.