Reflection of Public Policy in Cinema: Sociological Analysis on the Example of Kazakhstan

The article examines the features of the Kazakhstani film industry in terms of broadcasted ideological messages. The article analyzes the representation of social problems, state messages, and social values in cinema. On the example of films that have become widely known among the Kazakhstani audience, this article examines the main directions of public policy, directly or indirectly reflected in the production of Kazakhstani cinema. The study analyzed the content of key state policy documents and development concepts in comparison with the ideological messages of domestic films released for mass distribution. The timing of the analysis begins in 1992 and ends in the second half of 2020. This period can be divided into several stages of social development, each of which is characterized by modernization processes in particular areas: 1) from 1992 to the end of the 90s: institutional modernization; 2) from the late 90s to 2012: economic modernization; 3) from 2012 to 2016: social modernization; 4) from 2017 to the present: modernization of public consciousness. It should be noted that this division is arbitrary and belonging to the category of the “ideal type”. To put it in other words, each stage is featured by complex modernization processes, affecting all aspects of social life. The selection of certain stages is due to the predominance of any component, which, however, does not mean the absence of the influence of other factors. Changes in the social sphere and political transformations were reflected in art in general and in cinema in particular.