Biography

Nurbek Egen (Russian Нурбек Эген; born 3 December 1975) is a Kyrgyz and Russian film and TV director and screenwriter. His films have won two Young Artist Awards: his short film Sanzhyra as Best Short Foreign Film and his feature film The Wedding Chest as Outstanding International Drama. Nurbek Egen was born Osh Oblast, Kirghiz SSR. Having graduated from Physics and Mathematics school, he studied acting at Arts Institute in Bishkek for two years. In 1994 he entered the Faculty of Directing at Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK) and studied under the guidance of Vladimir Khotinenko. He graduated from VGIK in 2000. In 2009-2010 he studied Directing at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, USA.

While studying at VGIK, Egen made his short films One Day Older (1998) and Closed Space (1999). His short film Sanzhyra has been a part of competition programs of more than 50 international festivals and received the Best Short Foreign Film Award at the Young Artist Awards in Los Angeles, USA.

The Wedding Chest, Egen's feature film about Aydar who came back from Paris to his native ail with his French bride Isabelle, received the Best Foreign Film Award at the Young Artist Awards in Los Angeles, USA, as well as the Audience Award at the Cottbus Film Festival, Germany. FBW (Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung), a German federal authority for evaluating and rating film and media, rated the film with the certification mark Wertvoll (valuable) for its high artistic quality.

In his works, Nurbek Egen repeatedly turns to his native culture and traditions. Modern social and political life of Kyrgyzstan, as well as its background and cultural past, are reflected in his documentary film The Birth of Manas as a Presentiment.

Egen's social drama The Empty Home (2012) brings up one of the most relevant and sensitive issues - emigration, interpenetration and mutual rejection of different cultures, national identity. The film won the Best Feature Film Award at the 10th Shaken's Stars International Film Festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Egen's The Wedding Chest and The Empty Home were Kyrgyzstan's submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the years 2006 and 2012, respectively.

Egen is currently engaged in active filmmaking and TV production.