The opening ceremony of the Days of Cinema of Central Asian Countries and Azerbaijan, held within the framework of the International Congress "Central Asia: Common Spiritual and Educational Heritage – Common Future", took place in Tashkent.

The event took place at the National Palace of Cinema Arts and brought together representatives of scientific and cultural circles, artists and youth leaders from Central Asia and Azerbaijan.

As part of the initiative, the audience was presented with the best films of the modern Kazakh film industry: the historical film "Zhambyl. New Era", the drama "Qaitadan", which grossed over one billion tenge in the national box office, the short film "Үміт сәулесі" about the silver medalist of the 2024 Paralympic Games Yergali Shameyev, as well as the inspiring story "Eva – Batyr qyz" about the kokpar girl Eva Zhigalina, who overcomes social and cultural barriers with her work. Each of the films was met with great interest from the Uzbek public: the audience warmly received the films and noted their emotional depth and relevance of the topics raised.

The screening of the film "Zhambyl. New Era" was attended by the Director of the Cinematography Agency of Uzbekistan Shukhrat Rizaev. He praised the film and the work of director Zhandos Kusainov, noting his skill. Shukhrat Rizaev also invited the director to cooperate in future joint projects between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

As part of the international Congress program, Kazakh directors visited the Uzbekfilm pavilions. It is worth noting that the studio has an extensive collection of props and costumes – from Turkic and Arabic outfits to various types of chain mail, which is of particular interest for historical projects. Such working trips allow directors to discuss details of cooperation, exchange experience and establish professional connections, opening up new horizons for interaction between countries.

Also within the framework of the Congress, a round table was held with the participation of heads of film organizations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The participants discussed the prospects for expanding cooperation between the countries of the region, the potential of joint film projects, issues of promoting national cinema on international platforms and strengthening humanitarian ties through cinema.

Particular attention was paid to creating conditions for co-production, exchanging professional experience and further developing the cultural dialogue between the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan.