YARAT FILM CLUB PRESENTS SAODAT ISMAILOVA’S FILM 40 DAYS OF SILENCE

YARAT Contemporary Art Centre is delighted to invite you to the screening of “40 DAYS OF SILENCE”, a film written and directed by Saodat Ismailova.

The screening will be organized as a part of YARAT Film Club and will be followed by a Q&A session.

“40 DAYS OF SILENCE”

2014 / 1 hr 28 min (88 min) / Color film / Uzbekistan

A young girl, Bibicha, takes a vow of silence that will last 40 days to atone for her sins. She carries out this traditional vow in her grandmother’s house – along with three other women of different generations – in a rural Uzbek village.

Silence is established right from the start of the film, which has dark tones, isolated and harsh settings, and few words beyond subtitles. Events unfold without a let-up in this approach, possibly forcing the audience to meditate on the scenes. Featuring an all-female cast, this film is about women’s voices, and the sins and responsibilities they bear in a society that is largely patriarchal.

Artist Statement

“As a filmmaker my works aim to safeguard the beliefs and traditions I have inherited from my ancestors and my culture, and translate them into modern visual arts.

I am attempting to capture the essence of contemporary Central Asia and to understand the state of its soul through all of its transitions, with a special interest on surviving pre-Islamic beliefs and animism that surrounds women. 

I am interested in the collision of fiction and documentary observation with a special focus on sound research and cinematic experimentation.”

Saodat Ismailova born in Uzbekistan, Saodat has studied filmmaking in Tahskent State Art Institute and has then joined the cinema department of Fabrica in Italy where she has directed several projects among which 'ARAL FISHING IN AN INVISIBLE SEA'.

She has written and directed her first fiction feature film '40 DAYS OF SILENCE' in 2014 and her work was featured in the Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale Forum.  Saodat is currently developing her next feature film project BARZAGH.

September 17, 2015

Time 19.00

YARAT Contemporary Art Centre (near the National Flag square)

Free admission

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