An Unanswered Telephone Call

This film is based on the true story of an Uyghur man who has been living in London for more than 20 years. The suffering of the Uyghurs who live in exile has reached unbearable levels in recent years after China pursued a total blockade of international telephone calls between Uyghurs at home and abroad.

Since October 2016, Uyghurs in East Turkistan (Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China) have been forbidden to make or receive phone calls from their relatives abroad. China claims this policy is part of the “anti-religious extremism campaign”, and responds to Xi Jinping’s call to erect “iron walls” around the region.

This film provides a personal view of the situation from the perspective of a Uyghur exile in the UK attempting to contact his ailing parents in a rural region. It provides insights into the life experiences of his mother under the revolutionary campaigns of the mid-20th century, the frustrations of the exiled nationalist, and the struggles of his daughters in the UK who comes from a place that no-one has heard of: “East Turkistan”.

  • Aziz Isa Elkun
    Director
  • Aziz Isa Elkun
    Writer
  • Aziz Isa Elkun
    Producer
  • Aziz Isa Elkun
    Key Cast
    "Aziz Isa Elkun"
  • Oksana Tanskaya
    Key Cast
    "Оксана Языджы"
  • Rayhangul Meghpirova
    Key Cast
    "Рейнагул Меғфирова"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 2, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    16,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Kazakhstan
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Aziz isa Elkun
    London
    United Kingdom
Distribution Information
  • Aziz Isa Elkun
    Country: United Kingdom
    Rights: All Rights, Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Theatrical, Video / Disc
Director Biography - Aziz Isa Elkun

A brief biography of Aziz Isa Elkun

Aziz Isa Elkun was born in East Turkistan (Uyghur Autonomous Region, China). He spent his childhood in Shahyar county which is located close to the Tarim River on the northern edge of the world’s second largest desert, the Taklamakan Desert.

He graduated from Xinjiang University majoring in Chinese and Russian and languages. He has been living in London since 2001. He studied at Birkbeck University in London. He has published many poems, stories, and research articles in both Uyghur language (www.azizisa.org) and English (www.azizisa.org/en).

He has co-authored English language articles in Inner Asia and Central Asian Survey (‘Invitation to a Mourning Ceremony’: Perspectives on the Uyghur Internet and ‘Islam by Smartphone: the changing sounds of Uyghur religiosity’). He worked as Research Assistant on the “Sounding Islam China” project based in SOAS, University of London, and conducted collaborative fieldwork in Central Asia for the project.

In 2017, he published a Uyghur language research article arising from this fieldwork, titled “The Uyghurs are known in Central Asia for their laghmen”.

He is an active member of the exile Uyghur Community and founder of a Uyghur music group – the London Uyghur Ensemble (www.uyghurensemble.co.uk). Since September 2017, he has served as Secretary of the International PEN Uyghur Centre (www.uyghurpen.org).

From September 2018, he is working as a researcher on a British Academy Sustainable Development project “Uyghur Meshrep in Kazakhstan” based at SOAS, University of London.

http://www.azizisa.org/en/biography_aziz_isa_elkun/

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My name is Aziz Isa Elkun, I live in London and I am a Research Affiliate of SOAS, University of London.

I would like to apply screening of my short film “An Unanswered Telephone Call“ in your Film Festival.

This film is based on my true story since I been living in London for more than 18 years. The suffering of the Uyghurs who live in exile has reached unbearable levels in recent years after China pursued a total blockade of international telephone calls between Uyghurs at home and abroad.

I will to give my full permission screening this film "An unanswered telephone call" in your fproposed film festivals. Thank you.

Aziz Isa Elkun