A film from Uzbekistan has been included in the competition program of Berlinale Shorts 2026

YURAGIM is the story of Saida: after several years of living in Europe, she returns to her native Tashkent and tries to start over. Having found a job as a translator for foreign businessmen, Saida discovers that her new work turns out to be much more difficult and morally ambiguous than it seemed at first glance.

The film explores questions of identity, personal boundaries, and the complexities of adapting between different cultures. It is an intimate look at what it means to be between worlds, to be heard, and to seek your own path where it seems the choice has already been made for you.

Directors and co-authors of the script — Varya Garib and Kirill Komar.

Varya was born in Uzbekistan and spent the first years of her life in Tashkent before continuing her education in Europe: in Austria, France, and Italy. Her path runs through art, fashion, journalism, and cinema, and her work has always been focused on personal and emotional stories. Kirill is originally from Odessa, grew up in Germany, and lives in Vienna, where he began his directing career with music videos and commercial projects, and then fully devoted himself to cinema.

YURAGIM is already the third joint film by Varya Garib and Kirill Komar after "Anda zhilek kyup iken" (2024) and "Mosquito" (2025).

The film YURAGIM was shot in Tashkent in October 2024, and previously participated in the Women Watch Uzbekistan 2024 film project accelerator, where it was presented by director Varya Garib and producer Vasilisa Inshutina. The premiere screening will take place in Berlin. 

The film was produced by the international production companies Zanzara Films and Buro Notfrom.

Worked on the project:

Directors, producers (Austria): Varya Garib, Kirill Komar

Producers (Uzbekistan): Doni Akhmadjonov, Vasilisa Inshutina

Co-producer: Grigory Bagaev

Operators: Sasha Kulak, Murat Ibragimov

Duration of the film — 19 minutes;

Languages: Uzbek, German, Russian, with English subtitles.

The music for the film was composed by Bhima Yunusov and performed by Dado, Masa & Asl Wayne.