Underseen Kazakh epic The Fall Of Otrar rises in exclusive new restoration trailer

Ardak Amirkulov’s 1991 epic received a brand-new 4K restoration courtesy of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project.

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  July 9, 2025 | 10:00am
Courtesy of Janus Films
Film News The Fall Of Otrar
Underseen Kazakh epic The Fall Of Otrar rises in exclusive new restoration trailer
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Following nearly 40 years in relative obscurity, the Kazakh New Wave epic, The Fall Of Otrar, is finally heading back to cinemas with a new 4K restoration. Following its premiere at the New York Film Festival, the restored Otrar is heading to Lincoln Center for a week of screenings, offering New Yorkers a rare opportunity to travel back to the 13th century. Considering the folks behind the restoration, it’s likely that Otrar will be available from boutique imprints and streamers sooner rather than later, giving cinephiles outside the Big Apple the chance to experience it too.

Otrar tells of Genghis Khan’s first victory in his bloody expansion of Mongol territory. His first stop: Otrar, where he overtook the Kipchak forces in what would later be Kazakhstan. Set in the years leading up to the Mongol invasion, The Fall Of Otrar follows Unjukhan (Dokhdurbek Kydyraliyev), a Mongol scout turned Kipchak soldier who knows what Khan is capable of. But after pleading with the Khwarazm ruler, Kaiyrkhan (Tungyshpai Zhamankulov), to take Khan’s movements seriously, the soldier is jailed for insolence. Now, he must escape imprisonment and prevent the inevitable from taking place.

Released in 1991 and directed by Kazakh New Wave auteur Ardak Amirkulov, The Fall Of Otrar uses sepia, black-and-white, and full-color film stocks to create an all-encompassing, hallucinatory, and terrifying depiction of the seismic forces that changed history. With its focus on palace intrigue, 13th-century diplomacy, and brutal battle sequences, Otrar returns to electrify audiences with more clarity than ever before.

The new restoration kicks off a run at Lincoln Center on August 1.

 
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