WELCOME TO THE USA New Auteurs

World Premiere

Talent attending: Assel Aushakimova (Director), Zhanna Utarbayeva (Co-Producer)

WELCOME TO THE USA is a quiet, yet powerful, film exploring concepts of family, migration, gender inequity, sexual identity and the things we lose and gain when deciding to leave our homeland for the unknown. As she waits to return to the U.S. Embassy for her exit visa, 36-year-old Aliya (played stunningly by newcomer Saltanat Nauruz) shares meals with her elderly mother, has sleepovers with her Muslim convert sister, gets advice from her best friend while viewing Soviet Era monuments in a snow storm, and reunites with her on-off-girlfriend for what may be the last time. Director Assel Aushakimova’s film shares a slice of Kazakhstani city life and the semi-hidden existence of the LGBTQ community in Almaty. –Eric Moore