The Song of Sushkhotin

As part of the Baqionyr Festival, audiences will discover an unforgettable film from Uzbekistan - a powerful story of pain, silence, and the struggle for justice that will shake viewers to the core and linger in memory.

In a remote village, a merciless drought has reigned for months - no rain has fallen, and the earth is parched. Villagers perform ancient rituals in hopes of banishing the calamity and poverty, yet the drought does not relent. People suffer in silence, not knowing to whom they can speak of their grief. At this moment, Akhbor, a former official, arrives in the village in search of a friend. Having ruled society from the comfort of his office, Akhbor is confronted with a shocking reality: a young girl has been raped. Her father, the entire village, and even the local mullahs conceal this heinous crime. Usman, who dares to write an article exposing the injustice, is imprisoned as a slanderer. Akhbor tries to use his reputation to save his friend Usman. Yet he finds himself powerless before the very system he once helped to build from behind his desk.