The bright star in our sky never goes out...
The summer of 2018 turned out to be an incurable wound with the death of Denis Ten, a free hunter of the Kazakh steppe. No matter how many years have passed, he is still in the hearts of his people. Figure skater, whose soul is close to creativity, is not limited to sports. The film, based on a script written by Denis Ten for the Screenlife competition, made its way to the audience.
Timur Bekmambetov is the main producer of the film. Directed by Chuck Che, winner of the Venice Film Festival. The plot of the film is based on the love of people who met in social networks. One of the main characters is blind and the other is mute. A film that proves that although life limits some people, love is unconditional and limitless.
Denis Ten wrote this script in 2018 on behalf of Timur Bekmambetov's film company to participate in the Screenlife competition. The athlete sent his application in secret, and as a result, he was among the finalists.
"Thought Denis was going to pitch. Then I secretly submitted my entry. The contest received over 250 entries from all over the world. As a result, Denis won the international competition held in Moscow. We had already planned to start shooting in Los Angeles. This happened a month before the tragedy. Later, together with Denis's mother, we decided to shoot the film," says Igor Tsai, the athlete's friend and executive producer.
Filming began in early 2019 in the United States and lasted three months. Kazakhstani specialists also took part in the shooting of the international film.
"The installation work took a long time. It is very difficult to make a film without an author. I had to read the messages Denis sent and listen to the audio over and over again to understand what he meant. Because of the quarantine, we kept postponing the screening of the film. Later on we thought about how to present the work to the public. In the end we decided to start distribution in Kazakhstan," said Igor Tsai.
Denis Ten's mother, Oksana Ten, learned about her son's participation in the scriptwriting contest only after his death.
"It was a surprise to me. I realized that Denis was ready to get into this business in a flash. For me, a debutant and non-professional screenwriter, winning the contest was an unexpected event. I consider it a great gift, a great joy", - said Oksana Ten.
The film is shot in a screenlife format. This means that everything happens on a computer or phone screen. Blind Love tells the love story of a disabled girl and an old man who meet online. They fall in love with each other during a daily online chat. But they don't know how to talk about their "flaws".
"I'm happy to be part of an international team to make the dream of such a talented, great athlete Denis Tan come true. When I first read the script, it touched my heart. The feeling of loneliness did not leave me during the filming. I think Denis Ten felt the same. I hope we were able to convey this in the film." says South Korean director Chuck Che.
Chuck Che was chosen to convey the drama of Korean cinema. Denis Tan's script was not edited by the team at all. The film is only 32 minutes long. In the film you can see Denis' screenwriting abilities, read his poems and listen to his song. In addition, the film will be filmed in South Korea. Denis Ten is a direct descendant of Ming Heng-Ko, who was a general in the Korean army during the liberation from Japan. This film will be about the common heritage of the two countries. Watch the film in theaters @chaplincinemas.
Denis Ten died in 2018 at the age of 25. Bronze medalist of the Sochi Olympics, silver and bronze medalist of the World Championships, winner of four continental championships. His endless love for the Kazakh steppe, partisanship, high dreams will light his star on our blue sky even more. The country remembers the hero...
Author: Moldir Adamzhan
Photo: from the press service archive