Saodat Ismailova is an Uzbek filmmaker and artist. She graduated from the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture and from Le Fresnoy, National Studio for Contemporary Arts. Interweaving myths, rituality, and dreams within the tapestry of everyday life, her films investigate the historically complex and layered culture of Central Asia, which stands at the crossroads between diverse material histories and migratory legacies. Departing from her personal story, which is marked by having grown up in post-Soviet Uzbekistan, Ismailova reaches out to the collective dimension of memory. Her research encompasses the region’s ancestral knowledge and traditional spiritual practices as well as the modern history of Uzbekistan, which manifests through her work on archival footage. In 2022 she participated in the 59th Venice Biennale and also presented a new piece for documenta fifteen. The very same year, Ismailova received the Eye Art & Film Prize in Amsterdam. Her newest film, Melted into the Sun, was presented as part of the Nebula collective exhibition commissioned by Fondazione In Between Art Film, at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Her works are in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Centre Pompidou (Paris), and others.