Ahmed Muztaba Zamal to Speak at Bishkek Film Festival Panel on Central Asian Cinema

Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, director of the Dhaka International Film Festival and advisor to Cut to Cinema, will join a distinguished panel at the III Bishkek International Film Festival in Kyrgyzstan. The panel, titled "Curating Central Asia: Rethinking 'Authenticity,'" will explore how film festivals continue to frame Central Asian cinema through a lens of tradition, while the region’s filmmakers increasingly portray a more modern and complex reality.

Held from June 11–15, the festival brings together global voices to discuss evolving narratives in cinema. Zamal will be joined by prominent film professionals including Andrew Mohsen, Teresa Cavina, Lenka Tyrpáková, Evgeny Gusyatinskiy, Bernd Buder, and Asel Sherniyazova. Together, they will examine how international expectations can constrain creative freedom, and how Central Asian filmmakers are working to challenge outdated perceptions and reshape the region’s global cinematic image.

Zamal’s participation underscores South Asia’s expanding influence in the international film community. As the founder of one of South Asia’s most respected film festivals and a key advisor to emerging platforms like Cut to Cinema, his voice brings valuable perspective to the ongoing global conversation about representation, cultural narratives, and cinematic authenticity.