Akan Satayev

Akan Satayev (Kazakh: Сатаев, Ақан Қарғамбайұлы, born December 23, 1971) is a Kazakhstani film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.

[2] Akan was born to a family of actors, both his parents were recognized as People's Artistes of the Kazakh SSR and performed leading roles at Karaganda Drama Theater where he spent a lot of time.

That theater became his first drama school, and in 1994 Akan graduated from Kazakh National Academy of Arts, Dept of Cinema and Television.

[3] While at the university, he played student Azat, the main character in Allazhar, a movie by Kaldybay Abenov about tragic events in Alma-Ata in December 1986.

[4] In 2016 Akan founded Astana Film Fund to support young Kazakhstani directors and low-budget indie productions en masse[.