Mirziyoyev at Uzbekfilm: a 218-billion-soum budget for national cinema and a new National Film Company

On 26 October Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met filmmakers at the Uzbekfilm studio and set out new priorities for national cinema. He stressed that film is a "soft power" tool that carries a nation's identity to the world.

Recalling the studio's history, including films such as Bygone Days, Mirziyoyev put forward the "O‘z" ("Own") idea — understanding one's identity and telling one's own story to the world in one's own voice. He also said films should feature living people such as teachers, doctors, athletes and entrepreneurs.

State funding for film production rose from 10 billion soums in 2016 to 218 billion soums this year, with 1.2 trillion soums allocated over the decade. At the same time he criticised the state-commissioning system: one director can be assigned up to six projects and one screenwriter up to seven, and nearly half of commissions go to state studios.

Under the decisions, the Cinematography Agency will be abolished and its functions moved to the Ministry of Culture. A National Film Company will be set up on the basis of Uzbekfilm within a week; it will select, finance and distribute films but not produce them. State commissioning is to be replaced by a subsidy mechanism within a month. Construction of the 400-billion-soum Uzbekfilm Cinema City is planned to start in March next year, alongside a film critics' club and support for FIPRESCI membership.