Salamat Mukhammed-Ali

Salamat was born in the former Soviet Union, in the country of Kazakhstan. His creative career started in 1991 when, as a lead singer, he founded a very successful rock band "Epoch". Salamat left the music industry after he was offered to be a technical director of a National Television Network "MiKTV". Salamat directed music videos for the Nation's top artists such as Makpal Zhunisova, Myra Ilyasova, Dinara Kyrkybaeva and others. He also produced and directed National commercials and well-known Public Service Announcements. In 2007 Salamat's animated music video in 3D received "Best Audience Choice Award". The award was presented to him by the country's #1 National TV Newtork "Channel Kazakhstan". In 2009 his other music video "Ainaldym elm" took the first prize of "The Best Music Video of Kazakhstan" at the Shymkent Music Video Awards. During this time, Salamat was considered to be the best music video director in the country. This is when the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has offered Salamat to be a director, editor, and supervisor, putting him in charge of the TV series for his presidential outreach and children's programs "Intellectual Olympics" and "IQ-Action". In 2014 both series have won multiple international TV awards. In March of 2015 Salamat premiered his first feature film "The Whole World At Our Feet" in Kazakhstan, starring Armand Assante, Peter O'Toole, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Michael Madsen, Tommy Lister, Bolo Yeung, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, and Oliver Gruner. This was Peter O'Toole's last picture. The movie received a wide theatrical release in Kazakhstan and topped the Asian Box Office. Its record high ratings have surpassed such blockbusters as Transformers, Fast & Furious 7, and Interstellar, which were running in the theaters at the same time. "The Whole World At Our Feet" is considered one of Kazakhstan's top 5 best blockbusters ever made. According to the article in Forbes (online May edition) "The Whole World At Our Feet" received the highest ratings ever from the audiences in Kazakhstan. In 2016 "The Whole World At Our Feet" has started it's festival circuit and has won "The Best Feature Film" and "Best Director" at the Balkan Festival For Film And Television "Art Amphora" in Bulgaria. Shoreline Entertainment has acquired to distribute the film in 67 countries. Salamat Mukhammed-Ali has held the title of the leading music video and commercial directors in Central Asia. Now, he is one of Kazakhstan's hottest movie directors and producer. After reaching these heights in Kazakhstan, Salamat has decided to move further with his film career. He's producing and directing films in the United States. Many of those will be joint productions with other countries. Today he's developing several feature films and television series together with Gray Frederickson, Peter Zhmutski and Gamal Diab.