Ahmedov, who also serves as first deputy minister of culture, said the studio’s assets, including its land plots, had been pledged as collateral for the loans.
In a post on his Telegram channel, he warned that 12 vehicles on Uzbekfilm’s balance sheet could be put up for auction within 12 days because of the studio’s outstanding tax debt.
“Today, the most important issue that needs to be resolved is saving Uzbekfilm and freeing it from its pledged assets,” Ahmedov wrote.
He said the studio was also struggling with significant wage arrears and remained heavily dependent on state-funded commissions.
According to Ahmedov, Uzbekfilm needs to fulfil at least UZS 60 billion worth of orders annually simply to sustain its operations.
“The studio has effectively become dependent on state orders. It has no business model and has not fully transitioned to market mechanisms,” he said.
Ahmedov called for a fundamental overhaul of Uzbekfilm rather than simply preserving the studio in its current form.
Behind the financial difficulties lies nearly a century of Uzbek cinema history, he said, noting that generations of prominent directors, actors, cinematographers, artists and other film professionals began their careers at the studio.
Many films still popular with Uzbek audiences were produced there, Ahmedov added.
“The task today is not simply to preserve the studio. It needs to be fundamentally reformed,” he said.
