Zhanna Issabayeva was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1968. Zhanna graduated in journalism and has worked for many years in the advertising field. She executive produced the films Last Holiday and Zhilama, and is currently the head of Sun Production, the biggest production house in Kazakhstan. The independent film Karoy (2007) is Zhanna’s first feature film as a director and scriptwriter and was nominated for Achievement in Directing at the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and emerging. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
