Omirbaev has directed nine films since 1982; six features, one medium length digital film, and three shorts. His second short, "Shilde," shot in black and white, is autobiographical, as are his first two features "Kairat" (also shot in black and white) and "Cardiogram", which premiered at the 52nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, winning the CICT/UNESCO Prize. "Tueur à gages", a crime story inspired by Tolstoy's "The Forged Coupon", screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prize Un Certain Regard.