7:30 PM – 8:30 PM: Conversation with Saodat unpacking the trajectories of colonialism and female universe
8:45 PM – 9:30 PM: Film screenings of Her Right (2020) and Chillahona (2022)
Her Right (2020): Trajectory of Colonialism
Through a patchwork of videos from Uzbek cinema spanning 1927 to 1985, Her Right captures the perilous choices faced by women during the Hujum era illuminating the struggle between traditional values and state-imposed ideologies. In a time defined by emotional and social upheaval, the theme of women's emancipation remains significant within Uzbek Soviet cinema.
Chillahona (2022): Trajectory of Female Universe
In a three-channel video filmed in Tashkent's underground meditation cells, Chillahona captures the essence of self-isolation and devotion. Through intricate visuals intertwining real and mystical realms, Saodat weaves a narrative steeped in Central Asian heritage, invoking female cosmology and ancestral tales to illuminate the human experience.
Following the Closing Keynote on 25 April, Saodat will embark on unpacking her most recent film archives, continuously over the next five days, in the Per°Form Open Academy Studio. There will be numerous screenings as Saodat articulates her trajectories of ecology, tradition, living with the non-human, colonialism, and the female universe.
Saodat interweaves myths, rituals and dreams with everyday life. She calls our attention, in a nuanced way, to social issues such as the drying up of rivers and women’s right to decide whether to wear the veil. Women’s identities and emancipation is a recurring theme in her work. Women play an important role in keeping Central Asian cultural and spiritual heritage alive – for example by passing on stories and customs from mother to daughter, generation after generation.
Each night of the Studio, Saodat engages in conversations of a particular topic and the night ends with film screening.