East will be meeting west at the Malvern Autumn Show as cider producers and experts from Kazakhstan to the USA make the 15,000 mile trip to launch a brand new documentary headed for release on Amazon Prime.
Excerpts from the film Cider in Kazakhstan: A Cidermaker’s Journey to the Homeland of the Apple, will be screened publicly for the first time at the Three Counties Showground on September 28 and 29, right in the heart of the UK cider making country.
The documentary was produced by Alex and Aizhan Thomas, founders of Apple City Cider in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the first cidery in the country, along with director Matthew Speddings from Harrogate in Yorkshire.
The couple will be flying in for the launch of the film, which also features scenes shot at the showground itself as well as contributions from Gloucestershire locals, celebrity ciderologist Gabe Cook, Peter Mitchell who runs the Cider Academy and author Andrew Lea.
Also jetting to Malvern from Boston, USA, is Ryan Burk from Angry Orchard, the country’s largest hard cider producer, who also stars in the documentary.
The film will be launched in the Orchard Pavilion at the Malvern Autumn Show, where twice a day there will be a panel interviewed about the film and the cider industry, which includes the above experts and also the filmmakers themselves.
Apples and cider production is at the very heart of Herefordshire’s economy and is a vital business to the area, but it is a little known fact that Kazakhstan is the birthplace of the modern apple. The documentary explores this and follows the journey of Alex and Aizhan Thomas as they launch Apple City Cider, which will start producing cider this year.
Head of Shows Diana Walton said:
“Cider is such a big business across Three Counties and to be able to bring all these experts to the show, and launch the documentary is quite something.
“There’s a lot we probably don’t know about the history and production of cider, and this will be a great chance to get an education of the industry which is so important to our community.”
Run in association with Westons Cider Mill, Malvern Autumn Show is a two-day celebration and will be a fantastic harvest festival brimming with giant vegetables, stunning floral displays, superb family entertainment with lots of special guests.
Tickets are now on sale, with prices starting at £18 in advance. Children under 16 go free and group tickets are also available. For more information, please visit malvernautumn.co.uk or call 0844 811 0050.
