ResiliArt Debates in Central Asia №2. Cinema Industry: Youth and Working Perspectives during and after COVID-19

During the debate, the panelists representing different countries of Central Asian were discussing the following questions:

• Current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and further perspectives of the cinema industry in Central Asia. Issues and challenges revealed by the lockdowns and isolation;
• How the new young professionals of the region can start to work in the cinema industry of our days?
• What skills and capacities should be developed by the young professionals of the region in order to be in demand in the new normal during and after the COVID-19 pandemic?

The following experienced professionals in the field of cinema production participated in the discussion:

• Saodat Ismailova, independent filmmaker and artist from Uzbekistan. Main film works: «Сорок Дней Молчания» (“Forty Days of Silence”), «Арал: рыбалка на невидимом море» (“Aral: Fishing in the Invisible Sea”), «Заколдованный» (“Enchanted”), «Зухра» (“Zuhra”).
• Yelena Lisasina, filmmaker and scriptwriter from Kazakhstan. Main film works: «Бір сең үшін» (“For You”), «Финансист. Игра на вылет» (“The Financier. Elimination Game”), «Тәуекел» (“The Risk”), «Бір оқиға тарихы» (“The Story of One Event”).
• Suiumkhan Sulaimanova, filmmaker and organizer from Kyrgyzstan. Main film works: “My friend – My enemy”, “Sayakbay”, “The Song of The Tree”, “The World of Aitmatov”.
• Shohjamshed Umari, actor, filmmaker and art manager from Tajikistan. Main film works: «Путь сада» (“The Way of Garden”), «ShurH2O», «Апостол 2019» (“Apostle 2019”).