Grab and Run

Since Kyrgyzstan attained independence in 1991 there has been a resurgence of the practice commonly known as Ala-kachuu, which could be translated as ‘grab and run’. Over half of the women in Kyrgyzstan are married to men who kidnapped them. Some of them manage to escape following violent confrontations, but most are persuaded to accept the marriage out of respect for tradition and fear of social rejection. Despite the fact that kidnapping brides is considered a crime under Kyrgyzstan’s criminal code, the law is rarely imposed to protect women from this violent practice.

Main Festivals & Awards

One World Human Rights Film Festival (2017)

Director's Biography

The independent documentary filmmaker began her career making TV reports before going on to produce her own projects. Her first documentary shorts, Machine Man and Prisoners of Kanun, were very well received at international festivals, garnering over twenty awards including the CANAL+ Award at the Women's Film Festival of Créteil (France) and Best Long-Form Multimedia Documentary at Pictures of the Year International (USA). Her interest in the documentary genre has taken her all over the world in search of stories of everyday life that raise questions about contemporary societies.