10 Amazing Kazakh Films You Should See — theculturetrip.com

Set in 1949, the film The Gift to Stalin (Podarok Stalinu, 2008) tells the story of an eight-year-old Jewish boy, Sasha, who is deported to Kazakhstan with his elderly grandfather. After the death of his grandfather and only by coincidence, Sasha is rescued by an old Kazakh railroad worker, Kasym. The man restores Sasha's strength, gives him a different name and moves with him to a dusty village on the fringes of Kazakh steppes. After seeing a newspaper story about a nationwide contest to find the perfect birthday present for Joseph Stalin, Sasha decides to participate in the hope of meeting Stalin and asking to see his parents again – he doesn’t realise, however, that they are no longer alive.

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