Central Asia as cinematic territory: the power of culture

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Birgit Beumers
• Subject Area: Theatre and Media Studies
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 530248467

The project focuses on the production of cinematic content in the Central Asian Republics (CARs) since their independence. It explores filmmaking both in an industry context with a potential for wielding ‘soft’ power, and as a tool for delivering narratives about national history and identity. The proposed research investigates recent geopolitical shifts by asking how and to what degree the CARs, as former socialist republics, have transitioned from a state-controlled and nationalised culture sector to decentred market structures, and what new alliances are emerging. Questions about cinematic content and its production will be answered through an analysis of the mechanisms of film production, distribution and consumption in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (mapping the cinematic territory), and an analysis of select – state-commissioned and independently produced – filmic examples to suggest or undermine traditional (hi)stories (using the ‘power of culture’). By combining approaches from cultural, film and media studies, the research places the film business in the CARs into a global context. At the same time, the specific political context allows the research to evaluate the product ‘film’ and its consumption and thus gauge the level of freedom and constraint in both industry management and cinematic narratives. An analysis of production modes in conjunction with narratives allows us to re-evaluate cultural strategies by assessing how a culture industry reflects trends of integration or isolation within a geopolitical sphere. The research asks: how have the film industries of the CARs – as a powerful tool of mediatised content delivery – transitioned from the nationalised, former Soviet structures to a decentralised industry; and what content (critical and conform) is cinema able to produce, how is such content delivered to and received by audiences? The project will suggest models for reading cultural processes in the CARs by exploring vectors of top-down or bottom-up management in the film industry; define a set of markers for the level of independence of the culture industry in post-transition societies; and evaluate thematic strategies in cinema by assessing the industry as an active player in media politics (‘soft power’) in the CARs. The proposed project aims to fill gaps in scholarship by offering an integrated analysis of cinematic production and content, and specifically an assessment of the film industry’s dependency on and control through the state through a study of production and funding mechanisms, including legislative measures in post-socialist countries; a rounded analysis of data about film production and distribution; a study of the relationship between production and reception through case studies of historical/national narratives and socially critical topics in recent cinema (2010-), including student and debut films.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants