Development of Creative Industries for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions-Strengthening the Sustainability of the Film Industry in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan has yet to unleash its full creative potential. The film industry is one of the promising cultural industries in the country. Since the establishment of the National Agency “Uzbekkino” in 2004 and the decree of the President on the Improvement of Management in the Field of Cinema was issued, the film industry has seen steady development. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) data, approximately 88.7 % of films are financed by national funds.
However, despite the efforts made by the Uzbek government and the private sector, the film industry is still facing many obstacles in Uzbekistan. Regarding young filmmakers, there remains a lack of resources and of supportive mechanisms. Hence, while the quantity of Uzbek films is improving, the quality of these films is not always good.
As such, the project will aim at contributing to the better understanding of the role of the creative and cultural industries (CCIs), such as film, in sustainable development. Through identifying capacity gapsand developing and implementing workshops for artists, cultural professionals and representatives from the public sector, the project will support the ratification of the Convention and the development of CCIs in the country.
General aim:
The project aims at contributing to effective development and promotion of the film industry in Uzbekistan through conducting an overall assessment, enhancing national capacities and organizing promotional events in the field.
Overall assessment on film industry.
The overall assessment on the film industry in Uzbekistan has been implemented by a national consultant. This assessment aims at the effective development and promotion of the film industry in Uzbekistan through a research resulting in a full-scale analytical report on the current situation, stating challenges as well as opportunities for the further development of the film industry in the country, including its impact on the country’s socio-economic development. For this purpose, the interview with representatives of state and non-state institutions/organizations in the field of film and culture industries and the focus-groups meetings with specialist and practitioners were conducted.
An international consultant will be involved in the assessment to review the draft analysis of this sector and to put forward recommendations in light of international best practices. For this purpose, the international expert will conduct the mission to Uzbekistan to study the current situation of the sector as well as conduct meetings with relevant organizations and experts.
Besides this assessment, the international expert will conduct a training aiming at strengthening the national capacity of 25-30 local young specialists and practitioners in the field (such as filmmakers, etc.). The training will be organized in cooperation with the National Agency “Uzbekkino” and the State Institute of Culture and Art.
The first draft of the report will be presented at a round table in 2018, with the participation of the UNESCO national and international experts as well as all stakeholders involved. The round table will be devoted to the discussion of the assessment as well as further development of the film industry in Uzbekistan. Following this round table, the international and national experts will analyse the recommendations/comments/proposals made and integrate them into the final report.