The TengrCinema film studio, which makes films about Kalmykia, was founded by Kalmyk film director Arltan Bembeev.

He was born in Elista, graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology of Kalmyk State University, and also received art education at the Penza Art College and the I. Glazunov Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. His career path has been through studying sculpture, painting, photography, graphic design and 3D modeling, but cinema has become his real passion.

In 2017, Arltan Bembeev joined the Nomad Film Society of Kalmykia. Then he wrote and directed a short film in the Kalmyk language “Mini Tag” (“My Steppe”), which received positive reviews from viewers due to the sincere disclosure of human emotions through the plot about how the hero suffers from the unintentional murder of a loved one. This film became an important experience for the director in finding actors, selecting costumes and props, which often presents difficulties for Kalmyk filming.

One of Arltan’s significant projects was the film “Farewell, Kalmyk Land”, dedicated to the theme of Stalin’s deportation of the Kalmyk people. The director drew inspiration from research papers on deportation and paintings by his father, the People’s Artist of Kalmykia Grigory Bembeyev. To make the film, historical costumes and authentic sets were needed, which required a lot of effort to find and create the atmosphere of that time. The film tells a simple and touching story that could have happened to any Kalmyk family during the deportation, deeply revealing the human fate and the memory of the people.

Arltan Bembeyev also directed the dramatic film “Soudle” (“The Bench”), a story about a chance meeting of an elderly man, through which social and existential themes of modern society are revealed. The premiere of the film took place at the National Library named after A.M. Amur-Sanan with a warm welcome both among the audience and colleagues in the cinema. The work on the film was carried out by the director’s team with the involvement of local actors and art specialists. This confirms Arltan’s desire to create high-quality auteur films deeply rooted in the cultural and social life of Kalmykia.

Arltan admits that for him, cinema is a way to tell the stories of his people, preserve their memory and convey important social messages through art. He is actively working on new projects and is always open to cooperation and support, especially when making films with historical and cultural overtones.