For the seventh annual American Film Festival, the U.S. Embassy partnered with the national film agency, Uzbekkino, for three days of films highlighting growing up in America. The festival took place September 26-28 at the Alisher Navoi Cinema, a legendary venue built in the 1960’s in central Tashkent. More than 1,500 people attended the seven films during the weekend, a nearly 50 percent increase in attendance over last year’s festival.
The event opened with an outdoor reception in the Cinema’s gardens on Friday evening, September 26. The head of the International and Festivals Department at Uzbekkino, Asya Batraeva, opened the event on Friday alongside Chargé d’Affaires Bridget Brink. Chargé d’Affaires Brink spoke about the theme of this year’s festival, ‘Growing up in America,’ and emphasized that the selected movies not only depicted the unique aspects of life in each state, but also portrayed common U.S. values, traditions, and customs.
