The First Teacher

The First Teacher (Первый учитель) is a 1965 drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It is his first full-length work, based on the book by Chinghiz Aitmatov.

Synopsis
The action takes place in the years from 1924 all the way to the early 1950s in the Kurkureu village of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, which is now Kyrgyzstan.

The Russian Civil War ended not so long ago. Young Komsomol member and a former Red Army soldier, Dyuyshen, travels to a remote village where he takes up his post as the new teacher for the children of the village. His enthusiasm to bring new ideas immediately faces a centuries-old tradition of life in Central Asia. The former soldier tries to improve the children's literacy but faces opposition from their Muslim parents who, moreover, look unfavorably on the idea of a girl joining the school. Dyuyshen meets Altynai, a 15-year-old illiterate girl who has a burning desire to study, but her aunt sells her to a powerful and wealthy chieftain. The school is burned down. The film ends with the promise of it being rebuilt using a centuries-old tree which had been a source of pride to the villagers.

Cast

 * Bolot Beyshenaliyev as The school teacher Dyuyshen
 * Natalya Arinbasarova as Altynay
 * Idris Nogajbayev as Narmagambet
 * Darkul Kuyukova as Koltynay
 * Kirey Zharkimbayev as Kartynbay
 * Baken Kydykeeva as Chernukha
 * Sovetbek Dzhumadylov as Kaimbay

Prizes and awards

 * Silver medal and Volpi Cup for Best Actress to Venice Film Festival (1966) - Natalia Arinbasarova
 * Jussi Award for Best Foreign Director, Finland, 1973