Cannes Market Dailies

Leading entertainment company Arclight Films, led by chairman Gary Hamilton, announced today the company has locked all US distribution rights with Well Go USA for the action-adventure Tomiris, a powerful portrayal of the legendary Queen Tomiris directed by multi-award-winning director Akan Satayev (The Liquidator).

Starring Kazakhstan superstars Almira Tursyn (as Tomiris), Adil Akhmetov (as Argun), and Aizhan Lighg (as Sardana)––who perform all of their own action-packed stunts––Tomiris tells the real-life story of the great queen who, along with her female warriors, united divided nomadic tribes to create a powerful nation capable of repelling the likes of Persia. According to historical accounts, Tomiris and her army very likely served as the downfall of Cyrus the Great, who was foolish enough to challenge the peoples of the Great Steppe and their inimitable leader.

“We are grateful to live in a world where there is a strong appetite for real-life stories of powerful women, stories that deserve to be told,” said Hamilton. “Tomiris tells one such story, and coupled with its exquisite landscapes and exceptional production values, it is an epic film that will enthrall audiences. When Kazakh-American film producer Gia Noortas (and head of the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Los Angeles) introduced us to this special project, we immediately recognized the extraordinary potential of this film. We are thrilled that our friends at Well Go USA are on board to bring the inspiring story of Queen Tomiris to U.S. audiences.”

While Queen Tomiris lived 2,500 years ago, her legacy continues to thrive today. She was not only a mother and warrior but also an incomparable strategist credited with the creation of Scythian female warrior divisions that served as the basis for tales of the Amazon warriors. Indeed, Tomiris’ influence was such that her life was described in detail by famed Greek historian Herodotus, her beauty was depicted on many European works of art and her legacy has endured for millennia to inspire people throughout Central Asia.

“We have a passion for incredible stories, and few are more compelling than the almost unfathomable life story of the first historical ‘Queen of the Amazons,’” said Doris Pfardrescher, president and CEO of Well Go USA Entertainment. “Tomiris viewers will be left awe-struck by this fierce young warrior, who embodied such strength and unwavering love for her people that she overcame great tragedy to protect them at all costs, even when it meant waging war against the most powerful empire the world had ever seen.”

The film is a co-production between Kazakhfilm Studios and Sataifilm. Tomiris was theatrically released in Kazakhstan on October 1, 2019, breaking records and making it one of the highest-grossing films in the country’s history.

ABOUT ARCLIGHT FILMS

For more information about Arclight Films, please visit: www.arclightfilms.com  

ABOUT KAZAKHSTAN STUDIOS

The film studio was founded in 1934 as the Alma-Ata newsreel studio, in 1936 the first documentaries were released. On November 15, 1941, the Alma-Ata film studio merged with the Mosfilm and Lenfilm film studios that were evacuated to Kazakhstan to the Central United Film Studio - TsOKS, which worked in Alma-Ata until 1944 and produced 80% of all domestic feature films during the war years. On January 9, 1960, it was renamed the Kazakhfilm film studio from the Alma-Ata film studio of feature and chronicles films. In 1984, the film studio was named after the outstanding figure of national cinema Shaken Kenzhetayevich Aimanov.

In the context of decades, the average dynamics of production of feature films of the Kazakhfilm film studio, starting from the 60s of the last century, is annually: 60s - 3 films; 70s - 4 films; 80s - 7 films; 90s - 3 films. In the period from 2000 to 2008, there were 4 films. And only in the last few years, the average annual production rate is 7-10 films.

Over the years since Kazakhstan gained independence (from 1991 to 2016), the Kazakhfilm film studio has created about 136 full-length feature films (including 6 television feature films); 73 short films; 258 documentaries (including 8 documentary series); 67 animated films (of which 1 animated series, 1 full-length animated film).

In the period from 2008 to the present, over 200 films of the Kazakhfilm film studio have become participants in more than 220 festivals and international shows in 60 countries.

ABOUT SATAIFILM

The company was founded in 2003 by Akan Satayev. Initially, it was engaged in the production of commercials for a long time. The first full-length film was launched in 2006, it was a sensational "Racketeer", the film completely recouped its budget and did very good in local box office, and most importantly became one of the most loved movies of domestic audience. After the success of "Racketeer" the company moved to a permanent mode of production of multi-series and feature films. Biggest projects are pictures as "Racketeer", "Brothers" (a multi-part full-length series), "Strayed", "Hacker", "Racketeer 2", "Raiyony" and "Alone", which was released recently not only in Kazakhstan but also in the CIS.

An interesting fact is that the company's logo depicts the profile of Akan Satayev's father in the role of Akane Sery in the film Trizna / Kulager of 1972. Today the company is considered one of the largest private film studios in the territory of Kazakhstan and to this day is engaged in the production of feature films and series.

ABOUT WELL GO USA ENTERTAINMENT

Well Go USA Entertainment (www.wellgousa.com) is a theatrical and home entertainment

distribution label that specializes in bringing the best in action, genre and independent films from

the U.S. and around the world to North America. Well Go titles can be seen across a variety of

platforms, including in theaters, on demand, via DVD and Blu-ray and on television, as well as

on mobile and connected devices through martial arts movie app Hi-YAH! (www.hiyahtv.com).

Well Go USA Entertainment’s corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas, with an additional

office in Taiwan.