A program of amateur films from the 1970s and 1980s from the archives of the Uzbekistan Film Enthusiasts Association

The numerous amateur film studios operating in Uzbekistan (as throughout the entire USSR) from the 1960s to the 1980s served as a space where film enthusiasts experimented with genre and form, with plot and the absence thereof, and with sound and editing. Their creators did not claim professional status, and as a result, the works come across as truly free.

The Uzbekistan Amateur Film Makers Association (UAFMA) is a nonprofit organization that supports independent filmmakers and preserves the archives of amateur and independent cinema in Uzbekistan. Through strategic partnerships and engagement with target audiences, UAFMA strives to become a dynamic platform for cultural dialogue and independent creativity.

Screening Curator: Oleg Karpov—archivist at the Uzbekistan Amateur Film Lovers’ Association, film critic, curator, artist, director, and collector. Organizer and curator of the “Museum of Cinema” in Tashkent, and organizer and curator of the independent Tashkent festival videoART.uz. Writer and director of over one hundred films; some of his works were created in collaboration with Umida Akhmedova.

Ballad of a Film Lover

Valery Nasyrov

“Sirius” Studio (Tashkent)

Feature film, 12 min

A Flower on the Window

Harold Lorenz

“Splav” Studio (Chirchik)

Documentary, 10 min

A Séance

Igor Blidarev

“Spektr-77” Studio (Tashkent)

Feature film, 17 min

The Cry of the Centuries

Shavkat Boltaev

“Sitora” Studio (Bukhara)

Documentary, 16 min

The Escape

Dmitry Trofimov

“Sirius” Studio (Tashkent)

Feature film, 9 min

A Stop Along the Way

Harold Lorenz

“Splav” Studio (Chirchik)

Feature film, 9 min

An Autumn Fairy Tale

Akhmedjan Kasymov

“Sirius” Studio (Tashkent)

Feature film, 11 min