Tashkent International Film Festival: Showcasing the best of Central Asian cinema

Following its return last year after a long break, the best of central Asian cinema once again hit the red carpet at this year’s Tashkent International Film Festival, with some 300 artists and guests from dozens of countries.

Uzbekistan might not be the first place one looks on the map when it comes to the movie industry. But, for those in the business, the country is increasingly a hotbed of cinematic talent.

"This is a very famous festival—the Pearl of the Silk Road. I love to be somewhere like this because I think these are the places where you find undiscovered stories, you know that we haven’t been exposed to so much. So it sort of has a wonderful energy," says Gabrielle Kelly, chair of the jury and filmmaker.

One of the festival’s most unique highlights is the Grand Prix. Aimed specifically at fledgling filmmakers, all of the competing short films are shot across Uzbekistan in just five days.

This year’s top prize went to Uzbek director, actor and writer Timur Murodov, whose film Casseta centres around an old man who lives alone and is forced to adapt to modern life.

That fostering of young creative talent was recurring throughout the festival.

With 60 masterclasses over several days, including one by French film director Luc Besson, the festival’s goal is to maximise the experience and know-how on offer.

"We create a big platform for educational programmes for youth,” says Firdavs Abdukhaliko, film producer and the director of the festival. “All our guests who are coming here from all around the world. We ask them to teach and give seminars, masterclasses and training. This is important as these are the young moviemakers producing Uzbekistan’s films for tomorrow."

Elsewhere renowned Russian-Kazakh director Timur