The Uzbek "Oscar" and its behind-the-scenes. An expert discusses why the country overlooks talented figures in contemporary cinema.

Uzbekistan, Tashkent – AN Podrobno.uz. Just as every soldier dreams of becoming a general, every filmmaker aspires to rise to the heights where, under the dazzling flashes of cameras, colleagues will stand and applaud, while he proudly lifts a golden statuette above his head. In Uzbekistan, the national film award is called "Oltin Humo". It is held annually.

De jure, it is independent, as it is organized by a non-governmental non-profit organization called the "Creative Union of Filmmakers of Uzbekistan". De facto, the founding body of this NGO is the Agency of Cinematography, which also finances the activities of this organization. Furthermore, for instance, the preparation and holding of the most recent award ceremony on December 26, 2024, were fully funded by the agency.

In contrast to the Oscar ceremony, which serves as a true cash cow for Los Angeles, bringing in about 130 million dollars annually, our awards ceremony, on the other hand, acts like a turbulent stream, draining finances from the budget.

For your information: in the difficult post-pandemic year of 2021, about one billion sums were allocated for the "Oltin Humo" ceremony.

The main state information agency of the country provides the following description of this event: "The national film award 'Oltin Humo' plays a special role in identifying the most productive figures in the film industry across various areas, as well as in familiarizing our people more closely with their activities."

So, let’s reflect on the productive figures in the film industry and the public's awareness of their work.

This film award was established in 2019. According to the protocol of the Cabinet of Ministers dated April 24, 2020, the following statistics for that year are provided: over 6 billion sums were allocated from the budget for film production, while 470 million sums were returned to the budget from the box office of these films, which constitutes 0.84% of the expenditures. It is also noted that during this period, cinemas hosted 110,000 viewers, or 0.32% of the country's total population.

The conclusions are obvious; in both the first and second examples, the figure does not even reach the anti-record of 1%. Thus, concepts like "income" or even "recoupment" are absent, although the desire to join the WTO necessitates the presence of a creative economy.

The document also notes that out of the planned 20 feature films, only 7 were made, and from the planned 15 animated films, only 4 were completed. Thus, the critical state of Uzbek cinema in 2019 becomes clear. Meanwhile, the organizers of the "Oltin Humo" award in the same year emphasize the high artistic level of Uzbek cinema.

Now for the paradox: at the following ceremony in 2021, the audience choice award was won by the "crisis" film from 2019. As we recall from the statistics mentioned above, there were no viewers in cinemas, yet there was sympathy.

Another point worth noting is the prominent nomination "For Contribution to the Development of Uzbek Cinema," which traditionally opens the ceremony. It is usually awarded by high-ranking officials. Throughout all these years, it has been traditionally given only to elders and veterans of cinema. I personally brought my scientific advisor, Doctor of Arts Juro Teshabaev, to receive such a statuette in 2022. With all due respect to the esteemed masters and mentors, as well as to their age, one is left with a logical and open question – does it mean that no one contributes to the development of modern national cinema in New Uzbekistan?

For the sake of objectivity, it should be noted that such individuals still exist, though they can be counted on one hand. For example, director Ruslan Saliev creates films without government budget funds, which is quite rare in Uzbek cinema.

His film "Legends of Uzbek Dance" (O'zbek raqsining afsonalari), which introduces the history of the emergence and development of professional stage Uzbek choreography, has received numerous awards in a very short period where Uzbekistan had not previously been represented. It brought Uzbekistan three awards at international film festivals in Cannes, being named "Best Dance Film" at the Silk Road Cannes and Cannes World Film Festival, as well as "Best Asian Film" at the latter festival.

At the Barcelona International Film Festival, "Legends of Uzbek Dance" was nominated in three categories, winning two awards for "Best Dance Film" and "Best Soundtrack," while at the Paris Cinema Awards, it received an award for "Best Feature Documentary," and at the New York Movie Awards – a prize for best direction of a feature documentary.

His other film about the history of Jadidism, "Dreamers," which is also significant and relevant from an ideological perspective, has garnered numerous awards worldwide. The film won the "Best Educational Film" award at the World Film Festival in Cannes. It was the only work from Central Asia at that festival. Additionally, "Dreamers" was awarded the title of best documentary film at the ARFF International Festival and the Film Fest International. Film critics from CinemaScene magazine described it as "one of the most resonant foreign films of the year." It "smells" of international recognition at the very least.

Another prominent figure in this field is Nigora Karimova. She is the youngest and the only Doctor of Arts in Uzbekistan, as well as the first and only member from our country in the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). She was officially invited to be a jury member for the Golden Globe Awards, a first for Uzbekistan. She is also the author and leader of a film project for UNESCO (2019), head of the "Film and Television" department of the Institute of Art Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan – the alma mater of Uzbek film studies. Karimova has written about ten books, manuals, and monographs, along with over a hundred articles on the history and theory of Uzbek cinema, published in prestigious global journals.

Eljon Abbasov, co-author of the first encyclopedia of cinema in Uzbekistan, "Cinema Art of Uzbekistan," organized and facilitated the participation of Uzbek films in the world's most prestigious Silent Film Festival, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, in 2024 with the support of the Culture and Arts Development Fund. It should be noted that this was Uzbekistan's first participation in this authoritative festival, where it was the only country from the CIS. Additionally, with the support of the aforementioned fund, Abbasov was a member of the working group for the inclusion of "Images of the Khorezm Oasis Khudaybergan Devanova (1879−1937)" in UNESCO's "Memory of the World" register. Thus, the name of the first Uzbek operator has been immortalized on a global level.

However, despite all this, according to a report from the leadership of the Agency of Cinematography, he was recently dismissed from his position as director of the National Film Fund of Uzbekistan. One of the reasons cited was an "uncoordinated" trip abroad, referring to Uzbekistan's first historical participation in the Silent Film Festival, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto.

Pavel Kim, like Ruslan Saliev, created a wonderful animated film, Pomidor Do'ppi, without utilizing the beloved budget funds. This project, the first in Uzbek animation, appeared on 45 media platforms in China, where foreign content is rarely allowed. Today, Pomidor Do'ppi is the most recognizable animated character in Uzbekistan, reaching an audience of 6 million viewers on YouTube.

The animated film is broadcasted on over 50 online platforms in the CIS, including major ones like "KinoPoisk," "IVI," START, "KION," Megogo, and iTV.

The series about the cheerful tomato, like Ruslan Saliev's films, is available to passengers of Uzbekistan Airways. Unfortunately, there are no modern Uzbek films or animated films created with government budget funds on board even our domestic airlines.

Farrukh Tulyaganov is the largest investor in Uzbek film distribution, owning the biggest cinema chain, including Mega Cinema, Salom Cinema, Riviera Cinema, Parus Cinema, Next Cinema, Family Cinema, and Anhor Cinema. He is the first and only member from Uzbekistan in the National Association of Theater Owners (USA). He is also the sole and consistent participant from the Republic at the largest film markets in the world, such as CinemaCon and CineEurope. At these venues, Tulyaganov has negotiated with Warner Bros, Universal, Disney, Paramount, Lionsgate, and Crunchyroll.

In his time, he opened the first children's cinema in Uzbekistan, "Guncha," which was later seized from him through legal battles in favor of the Agency of Cinematography. As a result, "Guncha" has not been operational to this day. In the building, there is a Paynet, a pharmacy, and