Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The 11th European Film Festival has officially opened at the Palace of National Cinema Arts in Uzbekistan. This year, screenings will take place in Tashkent and Urgench.
The annual event is organised by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Uzbekistan and the Cinematography Agency under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Culture, with support from EU member states’ embassies, cultural institutions and other European countries.
As is customary, the festival began with a press conference attended by EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Toivo Klaar and Matyakub Matchanov, chairman of the Creative Union of Cinematographers of Uzbekistan.
Programme
The programme features 11 films by directors from Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovenia. The selection ranges from documentaries and psychological dramas to animation, biographical films and romantic stories.
Screenings will be held in Tashkent from 23 to 25 October at the Palace of National Cinema Arts, formerly known as the Panorama cinema. On 27 October, films will be shown in Urgench at the Khudoybergan Devonov cinema.
During the festival, the British Council in Uzbekistan will also present a series of short films for students of the Uzbekistan State World Languages University and at the MOK HUB cultural space.
Since its launch in 2013, the European Film Festival has become one of Uzbekistan’s most anticipated cultural events. More than 120 films from nearly all EU member states and other European countries have been screened in nine regions of Uzbekistan, including Navoi, Nukus, Shakhrisabz, Ferghana, Jizzakh and Bukhara.
Organisers’ remarks
“The European Film Festival is an opportunity to discover Europe through stories that reflect the diversity of our cultures and universal human values. This year, we are sharing the celebration of cinema with Urgench. Expanding the festival beyond Tashkent has become a welcome tradition, creating opportunities for cultural exchange with Uzbekistan’s regions. I would like to thank the Cinematography Agency of Uzbekistan, EU member states’ embassies and participating cultural organisations for their longstanding partnership. Thanks to their contributions, the festival has become a vibrant cultural event that promotes meaningful dialogue between peoples through the universal language of cinema,” EU Ambassador Toivo Klaar said.
“The European Film Festival is an important platform for intercultural dialogue and creative exchange. It gives Uzbek audiences an opportunity to become more familiar with the distinctive artistic approaches of European cinema, as well as the lives, values and spiritual heritage of different peoples. Uzbekistan is steadily developing cooperation with European countries in cinematography. Joint film production, professional exchanges and promoting domestic films internationally are important areas of this cooperation. I am confident that such initiatives will strengthen the professional capacity of Uzbek filmmakers, enhance the international standing of national cinema and expand cultural ties between our peoples. I invite everyone to take part in the 11th European Film Festival in Tashkent and Urgench,” Matchanov said.
Opening film
The festival opened with the 2024 animated film A Boat in the Garden (Slocum et moi), a French-Luxembourgish co-production directed by Jean-François Laguionie.
The film won the top award at the Cartoons on the Bay festival and received the Pulcinella Awards. It was also nominated for Best Animated Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and for the Lumière Award.
Set in the early 1950s in a seaside town, the story follows a young boy named François who builds a sailboat with his parents in the family garden. The ambitious project inspires him to dream big, symbolising his transition from childhood to adolescence.
Over the years, the European Film Festival has developed into a platform for cultural initiatives aimed at bringing countries and people together through cinema.
The organisers thanked the embassies of Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovenia, as well as the French Institute and the Goethe-Institut, for supporting the festival under the Team Europe initiative.