Finding out about events in general in Bishkek has been a bit of a challenge and then finding them physically has always been the second one for me. Make sure to check out the SRAS Bishkek guide for suggestions on sources of events and map sources and apps for finding your way around town!
I found this small event put on by the Youth Initiative Development Foundation/ Фонд Развития Молодежных Инициатив, a two-day long showing of various films regarding the environment.
The first day was supposed to be more adult focused and documentary type films and the second day was cartoons about the environment. Due to classes I could not be at the event to see the opening speakers and most of the movies, but I did manage to catch one or two movies before the conference ended for the day on Monday and Tuesday, after I found the building it was being housed in.
One thing students notice here fairly quickly is that the locals often do not know a whole lot about what is going on their city besides the major attractions and places. The Дом Кино (Movie House) is no exception to this tendency. When I asked teachers and some other people that I have met from Bishkek, none of them had any idea where this building was. Luckily, Google maps does tend to get pretty accurate hits in the city and after classes I headed towards the intersection I thought it would be near.
Upon arriving at the intersection I found that the Дом Кино is actually a very large structure that looks somewhat like it used to have a government function. It stands out fairly well in the neighborhood it is in luckily so finding the building is relatively easy. Sadly, the building does not appear to have its own website or information page but when searching for it a few things will come up showing some of the past events that have been housed in the building, pointing towards it being a common event space to be aware of. It is a nice little building and the screening room has air-conditioning – a highly prized resource on some of the hottest days here.
The event itself was well put together and sponsored from what I saw of it. It was hosted by the Foundation for the Development of Youth Initiatives which seems to be a very active non-profit organization based in Bishkek supporting the work of young entrepreneurs and activists.
ЭкоЧашка / Eco-Cup
Дом Кино, ул. Логвиненко 13
