Ruslan Akun
Ruslan Akun (Russian: Руслан Акун; Kyrgyz: Руслан Акун; born November 30, 1984) is a Kyrgyz director, producer and screenwriter who has worked on films and TV shows. He is best known for "Salam, New York" (2013), "Herding" (2014) and "Kok boru: Time persistent (2018). Early life. Akun grew up in the small town of Naryn bordering China. As a student and TV producer, he covered two revolutions, ethnic clash, and witnessed turbulent changes happening in his newly independent country of Kyrgyzstan. Career. After graduating from American University - Central Asia, Akun's advocacy for positive social changes in his  country made him direct and produce educational films. He was commissioned by Swiss Red Cross to write and direct health-related educational films for school children and young people in Kyrgyz countryside. Follow-up effectiveness evaluations showed that, for instance, a fictionalized educational film on dental health were successful with number of children brushing their teeth twice a day growing from 37% to 71%. In addition, Akun created and produced several prime-time political TV shows on Kyrgyz National Public TV. In 2011, Akun and his friends wrote a script and filmed non-actors. The movie came out about 110  minutes long and was about Bishkek. Friends also negotiated the theatre release of his film "Bishkek, I love you!]". His second independent film "Salam, New York" became the biggest box office hit in a history of Kyrgyz Republic. The film won Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Music, Best Editing awards at the Kyrgyz National Cinema Awards. During the theatre release, pirates leaked the film but were stopped by Akun’s company and Intellectual Property Agency Kyrgyz Patent. It was the first time piracy was persecuted in Kyrgyzstan’s history. Akun's short film "Herding" was selected to  more than 50 film festivals international competition section worldwide including Clermont-Ferrand, San Paolo, and Brussels. Since 2014, Akun pursuing his master's degree at School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California; he holds a bachelor's degree from Mass Communications, American University - Central Asia.