Tashkent International Film Festival: Showcasing Central Asian cinema to the world

The cinema of Central Asia was in the spotlight at the 15th edition of the Tashkent International Film Festival, also known as the Pearl of the Silk Road.

World-famous directors and actors came to the capital of Uzbekistan to reward films and introduce the world of cinema to the next generation of cineastes.

“This festival brings together filmmakers from 52 countries under the motto of peace, progress and enlightenment; this is the initiative of our president," explained Festival Director, Firdavs Abdukhalikov.

"Uzbekistan has always been the heart of the Great Silk Road. It was a kind of melting pot, where there was an exchange of ideas, [and] creativity, so this festival serves as a continuation of these traditions,” he told Cult.

Students of cinema schools from various countries took part in the festival competition programme. Teams had exactly five days to produce a short movie using locations in Uzbekistan.

The Azerbaijani film, 100 Steps, received the Cinema in 5 Days Best Film award.

“We didn’t know the city, we didn’t know the language, it was very difficult," explained Yusif Gasimli, who was the film's director of photography.

"We united all together as a team to overcome the obstacles in order to achieve today’s award.”

Numerous master classes by world-class stars were conducted during this festival. Hassan Nazer, whose 2022 film, Winners, was submitted at the Oscars, explained how to use non-actors in a film.

“It’s a very big risk, but they could bring so much creativity and authenticity in the film because they are not acting, they deliver natural things," Hassan revealed.

The famous duo from the 1998 film Taxi, Frederic Diefenthal and Samy Naceri, shared their experience with young actors.

“You should listen to no one,