kazakhโค filmmaker Reclaims Women’s Stories from the Shadow of Nuclearโ testing in “Jara“
tokyo, Japan – October โข10, 2025 โ- A powerful new documentary is giving โฃvoice to the often-silenced experiences of women impacted by decades of Soviet nuclear testingโข in Kazakhstan. โ “Jara – Radioactive Patriarchy: Women โขof Qazaqstan,” directed byโ Kazakh filmmaker and humanโ rights advocate Aigerim Seitenova, premiered this week โฃat the Toda Peace Memorial Hall in Tokyo, leaving audiences deeply moved and prompting renewed calls for nuclear disarmament.
The screening, co-organized by the Kazakh Nuclear Frontline Coalition (ASQAQQNFC), the Soka Gakkai Peace Committee, and Peace Boat, with support โfrom the Japan NGO Network forโค Nuclearโค Weapons Abolition (JANA), took place in a venueโค steeped in history.โฃ The Toda Peace Memorial hall is named for Joseiโฃ Toda, the second president of โขSoka Gakkai, whose landmark 1957 declaration callingโข for the abolition โขof nuclear weapons remains a cornerstone of the global peace movement.
Image of Todaโค Peace Memorial Hall
Seitenova’s 31-minute film shifts the focus from the widely โdocumented physical devastation of the Semipalatinsk Test Site – where 456 nuclear weapons were detonated between 1949 and 1989 – to the often-invisible, intergenerational traumaโข experienced by women in the region.โ Jara,meaning “wound” in Kazakh,explores โthe stigma,psychological scars,and the agonizing fear of passingโ on inherited health risks to future generations.
“This film was made to make visibleโ the voices โof women who have lived in silence. They are not โvictims-they โขareโ storytellers โคand changemakers,” Seitenova explained to aโค captivated audience ofโ diplomats, journalists, students, and peace activists. “Most films showโค Semey asโข ‘the most nuked placeโ on Earth.’ I wanted to show resilience rather of fear-to reclaim our story in our own voice.”
Image of semipalatinsk Former โฃNuclear Weapon Test site
The documentary’sโค power lies in โits intimate portrayal of women sharingโค their personal experiences, breaking decades โofโข silence surrounding the lasting impacts of nuclear testing. Seitenova’s own journey to filmmaking was sparked by a personal experience of humiliation, a story โคshe shares in the film, highlighting the pervasiveโ societal โคimpacts of the testing.
“Jara – Radioactive patriarchy: Women of qazaqstan” is more โคthan just a film; it’s aโ testament to theโฃ strength and resilience of a community demanding to be heard,and a potent reminder of the human cost of nuclear weapons.it serves as a crucial contribution to the โongoing โglobal conversation about nuclear disarmament and the urgent need toโ address the long-term consequences of past testing.
[Watch the film Teaser](Link to Teaser -โฃ Placeholder)
Keywords: Kazakhstan, Nuclear Testing, Semipalatinsk, Aigerim Seitenova, โJara, Women, Human Rights, Nuclear Disarmament, Peace, Documentary, Trauma, intergenerational Trauma, Soviet Union, Japan, Toda Peace Memorial Hall, S
