Ayka

Ayka follows a young woman from Kyrgyzstan living illegally in Moscow. Struggling with severe debt and a lack of employment or housing, she leaves her newborn child at a hospital. As she attempts to survive in a harsh environment and secure the money needed to pay her debts, she must confront the emotional toll of her decision and her desire to find the child she abandoned.

The drama was directed by Sergei Dvortsevoy, who also co-wrote the screenplay and served as a producer. The film stars Samal Yeslyamova in the title role, supported by a cast including Dzhipargul Abdilova, David Alaverdyan, Cholponay Borubaeva, Nurzhan Kunnazarova, and Sergey Mazur. This international production involved companies from Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany, China, Poland, and France, including ZDF and ARTE.

The film has received generally positive feedback from viewers, holding a 7.1 rating on IMDb based on 2,600 votes and a 6.9 rating on TMDB from 68 votes. These audience scores are slightly higher than the rating of 6.8 provided by film critics based on 12 reviews.