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Today, August 25, the official opening of the International Media Forum “Islamic Civilization: New Perspective — New Discoveries,” initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will take place in Tashkent. The forum brings together nearly 300 representatives of the media and expert community from around 50 countries. Participants include executives and representatives of major international television networks and news agencies, journalists, publishers, filmmakers, scholars, researchers, and specialists in digital technologies.

The forum’s official opening ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Grand Conference Hall of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan. Participants will be shown a special film titled “The global community’s perspective on the Islamic Civilization Center.” Officials are also expected to deliver welcoming remarks at the event.

One of the keynote addresses at the opening ceremony will be a special presentation by Euronews CEO and Editorial Director Claus Strunz titled “The new proximity: connecting Europe and Central Asia through culture, media and ideas — the Islamic civilization center in the global information space.”

Phil Nelson, Executive Vice President of CNN International Commercial, will also address forum participants via video message. Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and Chairman of the WOSCU Board, will deliver a special presentation titled “The Islamic Civilization Center — a new type of cultural and educational media platform.”

The first plenary session, titled “The Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan — a new pillar of a great heritage,” will be moderated by CNN representative Paula Hancocks and O‘ktam Usmonov, Head of the Media Department at the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan.

As part of the session, the album “Heritage on postage stamps: great historical figures and the Islamic Civilization Center” will be presented. Imran Ahmad, Regional Representative of CNN International Commercial, will deliver a special presentation titled “CNN discovers Uzbekistan: when the heritage of Islamic civilization takes center stage.”

A separate segment will focus on making historical and scholarly heritage more accessible and engaging for international audiences through modern media, cinema, and digital technologies. Kobuljon Akhmedov, Director of the Center for Media Content Production under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, will present new multimedia formats. Jahongir Ahmedov, First Deputy Minister of Culture and Director of the Cinematography Agency, will discuss the role of cinema in bringing the history of Uzbekistan back to the big screen.

One of the most anticipated presentations will be the project “those who changed the world: great figures of Islamic civilization on the big screen.” Ahmed Salim, founder of the international 1001 Inventions initiative, and director Shohruh Rasulov will present the “Whispers of Wisdom” project and an exclusive excerpt from a film featuring Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.

Sergey Stanovkin, Head of Commercial Representation for BBC Studios in Eurasia, will deliver a presentation on positioning Islamic civilization in the global media landscape.

The session will continue with an open international discussion titled “Whispers of Wisdom: how is Islamic civilization resonating across the global media landscape?” The discussion will bring together executives and representatives of media outlets from Mali, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Niger, Türkiye, Yemen, and Uzbekistan.

The forum will continue with a plenary session titled “Great historical figures: new media formats for promoting Islamic heritage.” It will be moderated by Baxtiyor To‘raxonov, Project Coordinator at the “Mening Yurtim” TV channel, and Sergey Stanovkin.

Participants will be presented with a number of documentary projects dedicated to the history and cultural heritage of Uzbekistan, including the films “The civilization of Transoxiana,” “Islamic Civilization Center: a new universe,” “Imam Bukhari,” and other projects. The program will also feature video presentations by representatives of Italy’s VIKO television company and TRT Avaz.

Special attention will be given to new digital formats. Representatives of NeoVex will present the projects “Digital avatar: heroes of Islamic civilization in dialogue with a new generation” and “Uzbekistan 360°: a living heritage platform.”

Firdavs Abdukhalikov and Hasanbey Kondu, Chairman of the Board of Türkiye’s Mega Basim publishing house, will present the book-album “Great figures in the history of Uzbekistan in oriental miniatures.”

Anastasia Zvyagina, Deputy Director General of the National Centre “Russia,” will discuss prospects for cooperation with the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan. Sherzod Kudratkhodjaev, Rector of the University of Journalism and Mass Communications of Uzbekistan, will present a project devoted to ways of introducing history to young audiences through modern visual formats.

Italian researcher and Leonardo da Vinci heritage expert Mario Taddei will present a book project dedicated to intellectual ties between East and West and the influence of Islamic scientific thought on the European Renaissance. Charlotte Kramer, President of Kulturalis publishing house, will discuss Samarkand during the era of Amir Temur through the eyes of the Spanish traveler Ruy González de Clavijo.

In the second half of the day, projects by the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, SMI-ASIA publishing house, TRT World, and Qazaqstan TV will also be presented. They will highlight new approaches to documentary filmmaking, digital content, and joint international projects dedicated to the cultural heritage of Central Asia.

The business program will conclude with an international discussion titled “Great figures of Islamic civilization reimagined: how can we engage 21st-century audiences?” Media executives and editors from Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will take part in the discussion.

In the evening, the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan will host a gala reception and a special cultural program. The culmination of the first day will be a large-scale multimedia mapping show projected onto the façade of the Islamic Civilization Center. Participants will also be shown a presentation video highlighting the Center’s immersive projects. The creative team of Sila Sveta is working on the multimedia component of the program.

The International Media Forum “Islamic Civilization: New Perspective — New Discoveries” will continue through August 28. Following the program in Tashkent, participants will travel to Samarkand, where the forum program will focus on Uzbekistan’s historical, cultural, and spiritual heritage sites.