MOSCOW, October 12. /Dunyo IA/.  Film “Cotton” by Uzbek director Rashid Malikov has won the Grand Prix for Best Feature Film in the fiction film competition at the X “Eurasian Bridge” International Film Festival, held in Moscow from October 5^th to 9^th, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Picture tells the story of a woman who faces a series of challenges and hardships while trying to find a new meaning in life. Jury member Maria Borodyanskaya noted that the film addresses several important social issues resonating with audiences worldwide and expressed hope that the award would help it reach a wider public.

Commenting on the victory, Rashid Malikov emphasized that he views the award as a credit to the entire film crew, including the actors, producers, cinematographers, production designer, and composers. The director also highlighted the unifying power of cinema.

“When you make a film, you never know how the audience will receive it. You live with the story for a long time, invest your energy, emotions, and hopes into it, and then you let it go and can no longer influence anything. Therefore, it is particularly meaningful when the film finds resonance”, director stated.

“Eurasian Bridge” Festival has been held since 2016 with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Marking its tenth anniversary, it took place in Moscow for the first time, bringing together filmmakers from 14 countries.

A total of 28 films were presented to audiences across seven venues in the capital. In addition to Uzbekistan, the festival featured participants from Russia, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Greece, India, Spain, China, the Republic of Korea, the UAE, Romania, Türkiye and Switzerland.

Media coverage of the festival was provided by leading Russian outlets, including the “Kultura” newspaper, “Rossiyskaya Gazeta”, “TASS” Information agency and “Kino Mail” portal.