Born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Rachid Nougmanov graduated from an architectural institute and received his second degree at the VGIK Moscow Film Institute. His first feature Igla (The Needle, 1988) initiated what was to become in cinematic history: the 'Kazakh New Wave'. Claiming recognition at festivals including Berlin (world premiere), Toronto and Sundance, the film was released in the USSR with the resulting box office number of 30 million admissions. His second feature Diki Vostok (The Wild East, 1993), shot during the breakup of the USSR and presented as the 'Last Soviet Film', won acclaim in venues spanning from Venice (world premiere) to Los Angeles to Tokyo. Teaching writing and directing, he has authored Dramaticon, an original screenwriting method. In 2015-2017, Nougmanov served as General Director of the Eurasia International Film Festival, accredited by the FIAPF. Nougmanov is President of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Kazakhstan and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of France. Batu: Historical Detective (2022) is his long-anticipated comeback as an innovative filmmaker.