Overview
The Tashkent International Film Festival "Pearl of the Silk Road" is Uzbekistan's primary international film festival, held annually in Tashkent in the second half of the year. The festival was revived in 2021 by presidential decree after a 24-year hiatus, building on a Cold War-era tradition that began in 1958 as a festival of Asian, African, and Latin American cinema.
The 16th edition is scheduled for late September 2025, organized by the Cinematography Agency under the Ministry of Culture and the National Cinematography Development Center. More than 400 films in the full-length and short film categories from 60 countries were submitted for the competition program, selected by an international jury. The 15th edition (2023) brought together over 300 guests from 52 countries, with events held in both Tashkent and Samarkand.
The festival operates in a "festival of festivals" format, combining competitive screenings, a short film production competition ("Cinema in 5 Days"), master classes from international filmmakers, retrospectives, and cultural diplomacy events. Notable past guests include Luc Besson, Takeshi Kitano, Krzysztof Zanussi, Gerard Depardieu, Timur Bekmambetov, Franco Nero, and Nikita Mikhalkov.
For filmmakers working in or adjacent to Central Asian cinema, Tashkent is the region's largest state-backed festival platform. The festival does not currently use FilmFreeway for submissions; filmmakers should consult the official website for submission procedures.
Key Sections
- International Competition - full-length and short films competing for jury prizes, with a focus on Central Asian cinema
- Cinema in 5 Days - a competition where teams of cinema students produce a short film in exactly five days using locations in Uzbekistan
- Uzbek Film Showcase - new Uzbek cinema, including co-productions with international partners
- Central Asian Panorama - films from neighboring Central Asian states
- TURKSOY Animation Forum - dedicated forum for animated films from countries of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (introduced at the 16th edition)
- Retrospectives and Tributes - screenings dedicated to historical figures and cinema traditions (the 16th edition includes events for the 100th anniversary of Indian actor Raj Kapoor and a retrospective of French actor Alain Delon)
- Master Classes - sessions from international directors and actors (past and announced guests include Majid Majidi, Avtandil Makharadze, and Hema Malini)
Submission Details
- Submission platform: The festival does not currently list a FilmFreeway page. Filmmakers should consult tashkentfilmfest.uz for submission procedures.
- Submission fee: Not publicly listed; consult the official website
- Competition categories: Full-length films and short films from over 60 countries
- Eligibility: The festival's historical mandate covers Asia, Africa, and Latin America, though the revived edition accepts submissions globally
- Cinema in 5 Days: Open to cinema school student teams; teams have exactly 5 days to produce a short film using Uzbek locations
- Full regulations: Available at tashkentfilmfest.uz when submissions open
Major Awards
- Grand Prix (Best Film) - top jury prize in the international competition
- Best Uzbek Film
- Best Short Film
- Best Animated Film
- Best Film Director
- Best Male Role
- Best Female Role
- Special Jury Prize
- Audience Award
- Contribution to World Cinema Award - honorary prize for filmmakers (past recipients include Takeshi Kitano, Krzysztof Zanussi, Irakli Kvirikadze, Alexander Sokurov, and Pietro Marcello)
What Filmmakers Should Know
Tashkent is a state-organized festival with strong government backing, revived by presidential decree in 2021. The festival's budget and institutional support allow it to attract high-profile international guests and produce large-scale events, but its programming and selection processes are less transparent than those of independently run festivals. Filmmakers should not expect the kind of open submission infrastructure found at festivals like Sundance or Busan.
For Uzbek and Central Asian filmmakers, Tashkent is the most important domestic platform. The "Cinema in 5 Days" competition is specifically designed for film school students and offers a structured production challenge with Uzbek locations as the backdrop. International student teams are invited to participate.
The 16th edition (2025) was originally scheduled for September 15 to 19, 2024, but was postponed due to scheduling conflicts with the FIFA Futsal World Cup and other international events in Uzbekistan. The festival has since been rescheduled for late September 2025. Filmmakers planning to submit should verify dates on the official website, as scheduling changes have occurred.
The festival does not have an attached film market. It is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival. The primary value for international filmmakers is access to Central Asian cinema and audiences that are difficult to reach through other festivals, along with networking with filmmakers from over 50 countries who attend. The festival's cultural diplomacy framework means that government relations and bilateral cooperation are a significant part of the event's purpose.
Events are held at the Palace of National Cinematography, the Cinema House, and the Uzbekfilm studio in Tashkent, with some events in Samarkand's Eternal City, an antique-style set built for film production.
Festival History
The first Tashkent Film Festival was held in 1958, organized by the State Cinema of the USSR and the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR. The festival opened with "Storm over Asia" directed by Kamil Yarmatov. The first edition was attended by 49 representatives of Asian and African states. By the mid-1980s, that number had doubled.
The festival became relatively regular from 1968 onward (it did not occur in 1970). In 1976, its mandate expanded from Asian and African countries to include Latin American countries. The festival ran in this format until 1988. It was not a competitive festival in the modern sense; prizes and commemorative medals from public organizations were awarded based on screening results, presented at the Navoi Opera and Ballet Theater.
After Uzbekistan's independence, the festival was held twice: in 1992 and 1997. It was then dormant for 24 years.
The festival was revived in 2021 by Decree of the President of Uzbekistan No. 5151 as the annual Tashkent International Film Festival "Pearl of the Silk Road." The 13th edition was held September 28 to October 3, 2021. The 14th edition (September 14 to 19, 2022) brought 400 cinematographers from 40 foreign countries and over 1,500 students. The 15th edition (October 2023) hosted over 300 guests from 52 countries, with the closing ceremony in Samarkand's Eternal City. The 16th edition is scheduled for late September 2025.
Past Winners
The 15th edition (2023) awarded prizes across the international competition, judged by a jury headed by Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi. The closing ceremony took place in Samarkand's Eternal City, a purpose-built antique-style film set.
15th Edition (2023) International Competition
- Grand Prix (Best Film) - "Sunday" (Yakshanba) directed by Shokir Kholikov (Uzbekistan). The film tells the story of an elderly rural couple whose adult sons want to modernize their home and lives. Kholikov, born in 1992, belongs to the first generation of Central Asian filmmakers trained at the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture rather than in Moscow. "Sunday" had already won Best Film at the Shanghai International Film Festival's Asian New Talent Awards in summer 2023 before taking the Tashkent Grand Prix, then went on to screen at the Red Sea Film Festival (Best Director) and the Kerala International Film Festival (Best Director, NETPAC award).
- Best Director - Darkhan Tulegenov for "Brothers" (Kazakhstan)
- Best Actor - Dastan Aibek for his role in "Scent of Woodworm"
- Best Actress - Taalaikan Abazova for her role in "This is What I Remember"
- Best Debut - Maxim Akbarov for "Steppe" (Kazakhstan)
- Special Jury Prize - Adilkhan Yerzhanov for "Ademoka's Education" (Kazakhstan)
- Cinema in 5 Days Best Film - "100 Steps" by a team from Azerbaijan
Contribution to World Cinema Award (2023)
The honorary prize for lifetime contribution went to:
- Takeshi Kitano (Japan)
- Krzysztof Zanussi (Poland)
- Irakli Kvirikadze (Georgia)
- Alexander Sokurov (Russia)
- Pietro Marcello (Italy)
14th Edition (2022)
The 14th edition brought 400 cinematographers from 40 foreign countries and over 1,500 students to Tashkent. The festival operated at a smaller scale than the 15th edition but established the revived format after the 2021 relaunch.
Notable Alumni Films
Several films that screened or won at the Tashkent International Film Festival went on to broader international recognition:
- "Sunday" (Yakshanba, 2023) - Shokir Kholikov's debut feature won the Grand Prix at Tashkent, then won Best Director at the Red Sea Film Festival and Best Director plus the NETPAC award at Kerala. The film also screened at Shanghai (Best Film, Asian New Talent) and was reviewed by Screen International and Rotten Tomatoes. It represents the breakthrough of the post-Soviet generation of Uzbek filmmakers trained domestically rather than in Moscow.
- "Brothers" (2023) - Darkhan Tulegenov's film won Best Director at Tashkent, confirming Kazakhstan's leading position in Central Asian cinema. Kazakhstan won three of six international competition prizes at the 15th edition.
- "Ademoka's Education" - Adilkhan Yerzhanov received the Special Jury Prize. Yerzhanov is one of Kazakhstan's most internationally recognized contemporary directors, with films that have screened at Cannes, Locarno, and other major European festivals.
- "100 Steps" (2023) - Won the Cinema in 5 Days competition, produced by an Azerbaijani student team in five days using Uzbek locations. This competition format has become a distinctive feature of the revived festival.
The historical Tashkent festival (1958 to 1988) screened films from Asia, Africa, and Latin America that rarely reached Western audiences. The Soviet-era festival functioned as a cultural diplomacy platform during the Cold War, giving filmmakers from the Non-Aligned Movement and developing countries a platform that Western festivals did not provide.
Submission Tips
- Check the official website first: The festival does not use FilmFreeway or standard international submission platforms. All submission information comes through tashkentfilmfest.uz. Filmmakers should monitor the site for the call for entries, which typically opens several months before the festival dates.
- Verify dates before booking travel: The 16th edition was originally scheduled for September 15 to 19, 2024, but was postponed to late September 2025 due to scheduling conflicts with the FIFA Futsal World Cup and other international events in Uzbekistan. Date changes have occurred more than once, so confirm dates on the official website before making commitments.
- Cinema in 5 Days for student teams: If you are a film school student, the Cinema in 5 Days competition offers a structured production challenge. Teams receive a theme and have exactly five days to produce a short film using Uzbek locations. International student teams are invited to participate. Contact your film school's international office or the festival directly to inquire about team registration.
- Prepare for a state-organized festival environment: Unlike independently run festivals, Tashkent operates under presidential decree with government backing. Expect formal protocols, government involvement in programming decisions, and a cultural diplomacy framework. Industry networking happens within this context rather than through informal festival bar encounters.
- Central Asian filmmakers should prioritize this festival: For Uzbek and Central Asian filmmakers, Tashkent is the most important domestic platform. The festival's Central Asian Panorama and Uzbek Film Showcase sections provide dedicated screening opportunities that no other regional festival offers at this scale.
Industry Reputation Notes
The Tashkent International Film Festival occupies a specific position in the global festival landscape that filmmakers should understand before submitting:
Strengths: The festival provides access to Central Asian cinema and audiences that are difficult to reach through any other festival. Over 300 guests from 52 countries attended the 15th edition, creating networking opportunities across Asia, the Middle East, and the former Soviet space. The government's financial commitment allows the festival to attract high-profile international guests (Luc Besson, Takeshi Kitano, Gerard Depardieu, Nikita Mikhalkov, Franco Nero, Majid Majidi, Hema Malini) and produce large-scale events. The Cinema in 5 Days competition offers a unique production challenge for film students.
Limitations: The festival is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival and does not have an attached film market. The selection and programming processes are less transparent than those at independently run festivals. The festival's cultural diplomacy purpose means that government relations and bilateral cooperation factor into programming decisions. The lack of FilmFreeway or standard online submission infrastructure creates a higher barrier to entry for international filmmakers unfamiliar with the region.
Who attends: The 15th edition (2023) brought together over 300 guests from 52 countries, including filmmakers, government cultural officials, film school students, and international jury members. The audience is primarily Uzbek, with industry professionals from across Central Asia, the broader Silk Road region, and invited international guests. The festival does not draw the kind of international sales agents and distributors that attend Cannes, Berlin, or Busan.
Historical significance: The original Tashkent festival (1958 to 1988) was one of the most important film festivals in the socialist and developing world, screening films from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The revived edition (2021 onward) builds on this legacy but operates at a different scale and with different priorities than the Soviet-era original. Filmmakers with an interest in Cold War cinema history will find the festival's archives and retrospective programs valuable.
See Also
For festival submission strategy and budgeting, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For understanding Central Asian cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For general festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy.
