The golden pages of «Turkmenfilm»: «Dursun», the film that gave cotton growers a «magic» apron

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of Turkmen cinema, we look back at the golden pages of its history.

Cotton harvesting in Turkmenistan has always been a large-scale campaign involving manual labour. Film scholar, playwright, and head of the literary department of the «Turkmenfilm» Association named after Oguzhan, Ore Dashgynov, notes that the theme of production and labour in the cotton fields is vividly depicted in the film «Dursun», released in 1940. This film has become a landmark throughout Central Asia.

In the film, cotton grower Dursun makes a breakthrough by inventing a new, more productive method of harvesting. Previously, cotton was picked by hand, plucking it from the open bolls and placing it in sacks or special bags worn over the shoulder or on the back. Invention of Dursun — a special apron with a front pocket — allowed pickers to work with both hands. This simple yet ingenious solution quadrupled productivity.

Success of Dursun provoked a conflict with her husband, the horseman Nury, who could not accept that fame of his wife overshadowed his own achievements. His wounded pride led to a quarrel and expulsion of Dursun from the home. However, public outcry and condemnation from komsomol youth forced Nury to reconsider his behaviour, and the couple reconciled.

Soon, Nury achieved recognition by winning a competition for the best horseman, and Dursun received an official invitation to Moscow for a prestigious congress of agricultural industry leaders.

The renowned Moscow director Yevgeniy Ivanov-Barkov was invited to Turkmenistan to create this story. The Ashgabat film studio became a new platform for his creative development.

The film stars Nina Alisova and Alty Garlyyev, who were awarded the USSR State Prize for their vibrant portrayals. For the first time in the history of Turkmen cinema, a comic role appeared in a film – Sary Karryyev appeared as Chary, an «old horseman», which brought him immense popularity and defined his future film career.

Ivanov-Barkov made a significant contribution to the development of Turkmen national cinema. Thanks to his efforts, the film featured mainstream Turkmen actors for the first time, many of whom later became celebrities.

The production of «Dursun» proved to be a major cultural event. The leadership of the USSR State Cinema Committee emphasised the need to make similar films reflecting new work and family relationships and to follow the example of the masters of Turkmen cinema.

Following the release of the film, «Apron Dursun» was put into production not only in Turkmenistan but also in all the Central Asian republics.