The film “Report on the Legend” by Algimantas Vidugiris about the discovery of traces of an unknown civilization at the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul has been digitized. The son of the director, Stasis, shared this wonderful news with a “RG” correspondent.
He recalled that in 1976-1979, director Vidugiris’s film crew first undertook an expedition in search of a sunken city and discovered traces of a forgotten civilization at the bottom of Issyk-Kul that existed here centuries ago.
– Studying scientific literature, numerous trips to the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow and the State Hermitage, searching for information and consultations with scientists helped to comprehend the processes of the past, – the director’s son says. – The “Kyrgyztelefilm” film crew, consisting of Algimantas Vidugiris, Omurkul Borubaev, and Tynay Ibragimov, interviewed local elders, conducted a series of underwater studies of the northern and southern shores of Issyk-Kul, and reconnaissance from a helicopter. The result was an artistic-documentary film, and the compiled maps of the sunken city were handed over to scientists for further study.
According to Stasis Vidugiris, until now, only the so-called “screen copy” – a copy of the film shot in a cinema hall – circulated on the internet. It was of very poor quality and did not convey all the nuances and colors of the picture.
– After digitization and seeing it in 4K quality, I discovered that my dad really stood at the origins of researching the mysteries of Lake Issyk-Kul, – the director’s son admits. – In the early 80s, and then in 1987, we participated in scientific archaeological expeditions where I could communicate with the luminaries of archaeology and history – academicians and professors Vladimir Mokrynin and Vladimir Ploskih. As I understand now, they invited dad to show the underwater city. We lived in tents on the lake shore next to the scientists. Every day we dived in scuba gear, found pottery shards and coins in the sunken city, and once even a copper cauldron a meter in diameter. I remember dad and Mokrynin passionately discussing both the finds and the preserved city infrastructure.
The film “Report on the Legend” is called one of the components of the phenomenon of the “Kyrgyz miracle” in Soviet cinema, and Vidugiris himself – one of its creators. The film is filled with kindness and great love for Issyk-Kul and the history of the Kyrgyz people.
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