The first episode of a documentary film about President Sadyr Japarov has been released in Kyrgyzstan. The film focuses on his political journey — from an opposition lawmaker and prisoner to the head of state, who came to power amid the October 2020 events.
The filmmakers explore what they call the «Japarov phenomenon» and how he managed to navigate one of the most difficult paths in the country’s recent political history. The narrative centers on the events of October 5–16, 2020, when Kyrgyzstan found itself in a state of political vacuum.
Sadyr Japarov himself speaks in detail in the film about that period. According to him, by the morning of October 6 it had become clear that his supporters had come out en masse to the central square to express their support.
«When I came out to the people after three and a half years in prison, there were about 20,000 people there. I realized this was the only hope people saw at that moment,» the film quotes the president as saying.
He recalls that he immediately urged his supporters to prevent looting and destruction. «I told them: don’t smash anything, don’t burn anything. This is all your property. I will do everything and justify your trust,» he says in the film.
A separate section of the documentary is dedicated to Kumtor — an issue associated with Sadyr Japarov’s name for more than 15 years. It details how, in 2010–2012, while serving as a member of Parliament, he headed a parliamentary commission investigating the activities of Kumtor gold mine and why the issue of nationalization was not resolved at that time.
In the film, the president also explains his controversial statement made in early 2021, when he said it was «too late to take Kumtor.» According to Japarov, this was a tactical decision.
«If I had immediately said that we would take Kumtor, it would have simply been destroyed. It was a forced tactic,» the film quotes him as saying.
The authors note that after the elections, the process of returning the mine to state ownership was effectively predetermined. In May 2021, a court ordered Centerra Gold to pay compensation for environmental damage, after which external management was introduced and subsequent agreements were reached that ended the long-running dispute.
The documentary covers key stages of Sadyr Japarov’s presidency, his views on governance, decision-making in a «manual mode,» and the transformation of power after 2020. The film creators say future episodes will focus on the outcomes of his rule and the most controversial decisions of recent years.
