COMMERCIAL WORK
Craft: Direction (2025)
COMMERCIAL WORK (Craft: Direction)
JPG
JPG
MP4
1m:40s
Ainala - Messika
Étage
Shortlist
| Title of Piece: | Ainala |
|---|---|
| Client/Brand: | Messika |
| Production Company: | Étage |
| Director(s): | Somerset Karine |
| Producer(s): | Kamilla Azhibayeva |
| Agency: | Étage |
| DoP: | Bagdat Arginov |
| Instagram Tag: | @etageteam @somerset_karine @arginov_b @kamillazh @emildosov @thebuhars |
| Short Synopsis: | AINALA is a fashion film inspired by the Kazakh word ainala, meaning “circle” — a symbol of perpetual motion and the timeless dance of generations. Rooted in Central Asia, the film presents a meditative portrait of connection among women, where the flow of tradition moves gently but unbroken. This circular movement represents not merely the repetition of history but the living rhythm of continuity, where each generation builds upon the legacy of its predecessors. The simple act of braiding is not just a daily ritual, but a living archive — each strand carrying collective memory, solidarity and cultural strength. In Kazakh tradition, every braid, meticulously crafted, becomes a testament to the unbroken chain of support, wisdom, and tradition passed hand to hand. This visual metaphor illuminates how each generation of women nurtures and uplifts the next, creating a continuum of shared values and experiences. The soundtrack, composed by Emil Dosov entirely of traditional instruments like the ancient kobyz, forms a sonic loop that echoes the cyclical nature of time. Directed by female artist Somerset Karine, AINALA is both tribute and offering — a gesture of interconnectedness and matrilineal resilience. Leaning into stillness, the film brings a rarely seen regional perspective into the global fashion narrative through the ceaseless motion of cultural transmission and the unity it fosters. It suggests that true legacy is not a monument to the past, but a quiet inheritance — carried forward through gesture, memory, and the hands that continue the circle. |
