Ali Khamraev

Ali Khamraev was born on 19 May 1937 in Tashkent. He graduated from VGIK in 1961 and began working at the Uzbekfilm studio the same year.

His first feature was «Short Stories About Children» (1961), followed by «Where Are You, My Zulfiya?» (1964), «The White Storks» (1966), «Dilorom» (1968), «The Extraordinary Commissar» (1970), «Man Goes After the Birds» (1975), «The Bodyguard» (1979) and others. At Mosfilm he made «A Hot Summer in Kabul» (1983, shot in Afghanistan) and «The Garden of Desires» (1987).

In 1977 he received the Silver Peacock for directing at the 6th International Film Festival in Delhi. He has lived in Italy since 1988. Later works include «Bo Ba Bu» (1998), the documentary «I Have Not Forgotten You» (2018) and «The Scent of Melon in Samarkand» (2021), which won the main prize at the Milan film festival.

He was named Honoured Art Worker of the Uzbek SSR in 1969, received the Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR in 1971 for «The Extraordinary Commissar», and was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples in 1989.