MoS for I&B Dr L Murugan to lead Indian delegation to Tashkent International Film Festival in Uzbekistan

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan will lead an Indian Delegation to the Tashkent International Film Festival at Tashkent in Uzbekistan beginning today. The participation in this film festival is aimed to build cinematic partnerships, have exchange of programmes, nurture filmmaking and act as a bridge between the cultures. Known as the  Pearl of The Silk Road, the Tashkent International Film Festival was started in 1968 and Indian film Amrapali was screened in the opening edition of the festival. Indian cinema made a name for itself on the world map back in the early Indian cinema days when the films of Raj Kapoor received love from across the world, especially in Uzbekistan and the Central Asia region. 

Indian cinema continues to have a charm to date as the cultural way of storytelling and art forms transcend into our storytelling and are appreciated not only in India but the world, such as the song Natu Natu from the film RRR by S S Rajamouli that recently bagged the award for best song at the golden globe winning the heart of cinema lovers across the world.

Relations between Uzbekistan and India have their roots deeper in the history.  In recent years, there has been significant intensification in bilateral ties, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Working on the vision of the Prime Minister to create



an enriching filming ecosystem and a future-ready Industry with ongoing growth prospects in India for the world, 

India has been keen to co-produce movies, exchange the understanding and techniques of cinema and develop ways to make Indian cinema or industries inclusive. During its presidency year of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO this year, India organised the SCO Film Festival at Mumbai in January 2023.

India’s participation in TIFFEST is on the theme  ‘Showcasing India’s Creative Economy,’ given by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur which promises to be a catalyst for exciting and meaningful discussions.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry said, as we pave the way for India to become the global content hub and create a collaborative filming ecosystem the Tashkent International Film Festival will provide the platform for cinematic partnerships between Uzbekistan and other participating countries. The announcement of incentives to the foreign filmmakers will be promoted to attract more filmmakers to India. 

The festival platform would be utilized to promote this year’s edition of the 54th International Film Festival of India IFFI, which is scheduled from 20th to 28th November in Goa.