The Cinematography Agency to be abolished, "Uzbekfilm" to be reorganized

Cinematography Agency to be liquidated, Uzbekfilm to be reorganized

In Uzbekistan, the Cinematography Agency will be abolished, and the powers to implement state policy in the field of cinema will be transferred to the Ministry of Culture. Instead of the state institution "Uzbekfilm", the national film company "Uzbekfilm" will be created, which will operate under a modern business model. Film production will entirely shift to the private sector. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced this on October 26 at a meeting with representatives of the cinematographic community at the Uzbekfilm film studio.

According to the president, the industry is moving to a new system where the functions of management, financing, and film production will be clearly separated. A Cinema Department will be created within the structure of the Ministry of Culture, and its head will be equal in status to a deputy minister. Responsible officials have been instructed to organize the department's work within a month and abolish the Cinematography Agency and the organizations within its system.

The national film company "Uzbekfilm" will not shoot films itself. It will handle the selection and financing of projects, as well as the promotion and distribution of films, and their entry into international markets and film festivals. The president called the company a core center and the main operator in creating a national cinema brand and developing a modern film industry. Instructions have been given to organize its work within a week.

The reorganization is designed to solve the problems that the president spoke about at the meeting. According to him, a single chain from film production to its release to the viewer has still not been built in the country. Mirziyoyev noted that foreign films draw full houses. "This means the viewer has not abandoned cinema and going to movie theaters — only their tastes and demands have changed. Do our national films meet these demands? Unfortunately, no!" he stated.

The president also drew attention to the shortcomings of the state order system, which, according to him, does not meet the requirements of the modern film industry. Up to six projects were assigned to a single director, and up to seven to a single author. Almost half of the orders were transferred to state film studios, which restrained competition from private filmmakers. As a result, according to the president, the main criterion became the desire to complete the task as quickly as possible, rather than creating a strong script and a quality film. Mirziyoyev stressed that it is wrong to purchase works of art based on technical specifications, like a regular commodity or a construction site. He also said that the opinion of professional film critics is not sufficiently taken into account today.

Over the past ten years, two decrees and eight resolutions were adopted to support cinematography, and the Uzbekfilm studio was completely reconstructed. While in 2016, 10 billion soums were allocated from the state budget for film production, this year the figure reached 218 billion soums. According to the president, during this time, the quantity and quality of national films have grown, and dozens of private film studios have appeared in the industry.

The president called cinema a tool of "soft power" that enhances the country's international prestige. He urged filmmakers to depict on screen not only historical figures, but also contemporaries — teachers, doctors, athletes, military personnel, entrepreneurs, builders, and youth. Mirziyoyev formulated the "O‘z" idea he proposed in relation to cinema as follows: "Aware of our identity, to tell the world our own story in our own voice."