Mother When Love Collides with Justice directed by Anuarbek Khamitov.

Mother is a Kazakh short thriller directed by Anuarbek Khamitov, a 2025 Directing graduate of Turan University who currently works at Unico Play. His films have been recognized at national and international festivals, including BAIQONYR, where he received the NETPAC Award.

The story follows Saule, a judge preparing dinner when her son Didar returns home bloodied and frightened. Moments later, Idris arrives, demanding to know where Didar is hiding. Sitting across from him at the dinner table, Saule learns that her son has seriously injured Idris’s brother. Didar is still inside the house, and one wrong word could reveal his hiding place.

What begins as a tense conversation becomes a confrontation that threatens to destroy the family. Saule must choose between the values she has defended throughout her career and her instinct to protect her child. Within the walls of her own home, the boundaries between justice, loyalty and survival become painfully uncertain.

“This film was born from a question that has stayed with me for a long time: what is a person willing to do for someone they love?” says Khamitov. “Where does the line between morality and instinct disappear when a loved one is in danger?”

Bringing Mother to life was not easy. The filmmaking process came with challenges that demanded patience, flexibility and constant teamwork. There were difficult moments, but the cast and crew continued to support one another, find solutions and stay focused on the story they wanted to tell. Despite the obstacles, they completed the film together. For Khamitov, the experience reinforced a simple belief: a committed team can overcome more than any individual working alone.