Acclaimed Uzbek filmmaker Ayub Shahobiddinov – known for works such as “Tulip in the Snow,” “The Yurt,” and “Heaven – My Abode” – attended the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival with his latest feature, “In Pursuit of Spring,” which was screened in the Eastern Vista Competition. The film follows Rahat Shukurova, a former teacher who leaves Tashkent to return to her mountain village after a traumatic loss, unfolding a contemplative journey through memory, silence, and unresolved wounds.
Born in 1977 in Tashkent, Shahobiddinov graduated from the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture and began his professional career in national television. He later emerged as one of the distinctive voices of contemporary Uzbek cinema. His debut feature, “Tulip in the Snow,” won the Grand Prix at the Ijodiy Parvoz International Festival and was subsequently screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. His later films – including the award-winning “The Yurt,” “Heaven – My Abode,” and the psychological drama “Colorless Dreams” – brought him international acclaim for a cinematic style marked by poetic imagery and restrained, introspective storytelling.
In this interview with the Fajr International Film Festival News Headquarters, Shahobiddinov speaks about his latest film, the role of poetry and silence in cinema, and his view of Iranian filmmaking.
What led you to pursue cinema?
My interest in cinema began when I was fourteen. At that time, I became involved in photography and took photographs for books. That experience gradually led me into the world of cinema.
Given your background in photography and cinematography, you seem naturally inclined toward a poetic visual style. What is your opinion of this year’s festival focus on “poetic cinema”?
I found the festival’s poetic approach very impressive. Many of the films – particularly those with a documentary sensibility – moved forward in a simple, fluid manner. Some films, especially Iranian ones, naturally carried a poetic quality within them. From a spiritual perspective, they emphasized human beings and their inner emotions, which I found deeply beautiful and admirable.
What poetic elements did your film present at this year’s festival?
My film is not literary or poetic in the traditional sense. However, there is a part in the film where the female protagonist remains silent for an extended period. In my view, that silence expresses many things and functions as a form of poetic language. Cinema is like a novel – it can convey emotions and inner states even without words, sometimes most powerfully through silence.
How familiar are you with Iranian cinema and its filmmakers?
About twenty-three years ago, when I first entered the field of cinema, I met an Iranian-Azerbaijani director who gave me a disc containing films by Abbas Kiarostami and Majid Majidi. Although those films were not translated, their meaning and emotion were conveyed to me clearly and beautifully. That was when my interest in Iranian cinema began. In Uzbekistan, Iranian cinema is well known and widely followed, and Iranian filmmakers are familiar names to audiences.
As this was your first appearance at the Fajr International Film Festival, how would you describe its atmosphere? Were you able to connect with other filmmakers?
At the Fajr Festival in Shiraz, I met very kind and warm-hearted people. Compared to European festivals, which often emphasize appearance, fashion, and formal settings, the sincerity and warmth at FIFF stood out above all else. Although I was only present for two days, by the end of the festival, valuable connections had already been formed. At that time, cinema and cinematography officials from Uzbekistan were scheduled to visit Iran on December 1, and I felt confident that this visit would help pave the way for future collaborations between Iranian and Uzbek cinema.
