The capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, has held the citywide school film competition 'Her Way' for schools and lyceums. Ten educational institutions took part, presenting short films created by students.
Participating teams included lyceums 'International House Tashkent' and 'International House Lyceum', 'Diplomat International School' (DIS), city schools No. 257, 110, and 190, as well as the Academic Lyceum at the Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi University of Information Technologies, the Academic Lyceum at the branch of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas in Tashkent, and others. Each school operated as a separate creative team: students independently developed ideas, wrote scripts, handled filming, editing, and acting.
The competition was organized by 'International House Tashkent' and the independent non-profit youth community 'Kinolab', founded in 2022 by journalist, media educator, and producer Marina Khramova. The creative producer and consultant was Nikita Chichenkov, a student at the branch of the Gerasimov All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography. According to organizers, the main goal was to develop youth cinema, support schoolchildren's creative initiatives, and form a new cultural environment where teenagers can discuss important topics through art.
The themes of the competition works were surprisingly broad: friendship, growing up, intergenerational relations, self-discovery, human values. Many films touched on acute social issues, demonstrating a high level of awareness and artistic thinking among young authors.
The expert jury included notable figures from Uzbekistan's cinematography, writers, musicians, journalists, and public figures: Honored Worker of Culture of Uzbekistan, film director, actor, screenwriter Nazim Tulyakhodjaev; documentary filmmaker, photographer, member of the Union of Cinematographers and the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan Umida Akhmedova; Honorary Chairperson of the Association of Business Women of Uzbekistan Dildora Alimbekova; Honored Cultural Worker, film director Aliaskar Fatkhullin; member of the Union of Composers of Uzbekistan, laureate of international composer competitions Igor Pinkhasov; member of the Union of Writers of Uzbekistan, screenwriter, producer Yulia Medvedovskaya; writer of children's and young adult books Elena Makarova, and others.
The project culminated in a grand finale at the Alisher Navoi Palace of Cinema. For many students, this was their first real professional film screening: finalist films were shown on the largest DCP screen in the CIS in a true film premiere atmosphere. The red carpet, full auditorium, professional lighting, and applause after screenings gave young participants a sense of big cinema and served as a motivating experience for future creative achievements.
Organizers are confident that the competition will become an annual tradition and an important cultural project for Tashkent's youth. Plans are already being discussed to expand the festival, attract new schools, and create educational film laboratories for teenagers. It is noted that today it is especially important for children to have the opportunity to speak, be heard, and create their own cultural product, as cinema has become for them not just a creative outlet but a way to understand the world and express themselves. The city school film competition showed that a new generation of talented authors, directors, and screenwriters is growing in Uzbekistan, ready to create modern, honest, and lively cinema.
Source: podrobno.uz