SDG-4. IX Documentary Film Festival of the Turkic World

          On 5-9 November 2024 me and my colleague Islamova Altynay, as well as our teacher Tulpar Zhanibek took part in the IV Symposium of Communication and Art of the Turkic World and IX Festival of Documentary Cinema of the Turkic World. This symposium was organised under the leadership of the Federation of Journalists of the Turkic World and coordinated by the Faculty of Communication of the University of Nigde Omer Halisdemir. The event was supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the General Directorate of Cinematography, the Union of Turkic World Municipalities, TIKA, the ETP Scholarship Fund, and a number of universities, professional and media organisations.

          A total of 213 papers from 8 different countries were submitted to the symposium, and 62 studies were accepted orally and online after being evaluated by two reviewers. The first day of the event was held at the Uzbek University of Journalism and Mass Communications. At the symposium, which started at 10:00, we went through registration and received special badges. Later, there were two different sessions on the topic of communication and art. At 13:30, the symposium was inaugurated and award-winning films were screened. After the award ceremony, the rest of the symposium sessions continued at 15:30 in two rooms.

                    Altynai and I defended our paper on "The Role of the Film Industry in Highlighting Social Problems in Kazakhstan". Since our speciality is "cinema and media", this topic was close to us. We presented our presentation in English, and other participants presented their research in Uzbek, Turkish and English. Tulpar Zhanibek also spoke on "The Role of Media in the Development of Tourism in Kazakhstan". At the end of each presentation, the main organiser from Turkey evaluated each report and expressed his opinion on its importance in today's world. After the Q&A session, certificates were awarded and a memory photo was taken. After the symposium, documentary films were screened at the film festival. In the lis of one of the best films in this nomination was the Kazakh film "Kөk байрақты күлтегін". Its director is Nelya Rushanova, a senior lecturer at the Journalism Department of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Bauyrzhan Koskanat, an alumni of the Journalism Department of KazNU, is the author and producer of the script.

          After the symposium we were taken on a tour of the Uzbek University of Journalism and Mass Communications. We were familiarised with information about the university itself, the library and other facilities. After the tour, all participants and organisers were invited to a lunch with the rector of the university. Thus, we found ourselves in a "media cafe" where traditional Uzbek pilaf was served. The conversation unfolded in several languages, but we were united by one common goal - the desire to share knowledge and experience. This meeting was a great opportunity to talk about future joint projects and make new acquaintances.

          And on 6 November we took part in a master class "The Importance of Light in Film Production" held by Turkish directors. They demonstrated lighting equipment, cameras and shooting techniques in practice.

          During this trip we visited many places of interest in the city of Tashkent. For example, modern objects such as "Tashkent City Mall", "City Park", "Celebrity Wax Museum", "Seoul Moon", "Magic City", as well as went to "Chorsu" market to buy dried fruits. In addition, we visited the memorial to patriots near the Tashkent TV Tower and the mausoleum of Tole Bi, built in the first half of the 15th century.

          In conclusion, I can confidently say that our trip was interesting and very useful. It is a great joy for us that our first visit to Tashkent was connected with education. We would like to express our gratitude to Tulpar Zhanibek for such an opportunity. This trip was a special event filled with valuable experience and pleasant memories!

Aisulu Kaimbekova,
named after Al-Farabi
Kazakh National University
of the Faculty of Journalism
2nd year student