Khabibullo Nabiev
Khabibullo Nabiev is a successful Uzbek music video director and producer. For the last four years, he has been producing music videos for Uzbek pop stars and ads for large companies and international corporations. He says being involved with the British Council gave him valuable foreign expertise.
In 2015, the British Council launched a theatre arts programme together with the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture, where Nabiev was studying at the time. Together with colleagues from the UK – Niamh Dowling, Head of the School of Performance at Rose Bruford College and Perth Ladesmaki, a student at Rose Bruford, under the guidance of stage director John Tucker, Nabiev studied the full process of stage production using Shakespeare. The work included every production stage, from casting and rehearsals to organising a premiere and a national tour. Nabiev was cast in his first leading role as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
“I first met my British colleagues when we were preparing to perform Shakespeare. To me, our director-producer John Tucker is a true Briton – polite and aristocratic. He also became my mentor, and his advice and instructions help me to this day,” says Nabiev. “One of the most important pieces of advice that John Tucker gave me was, ‘It doesn't matter how you speak English; the main thing is what emotions and feelings you evoke in the viewer.’”
As this was Nabiev’s first experience performing in English, he says he and his classmates were especially anxious about their pronunciation. But Mr Tucker's advice helped them convey the atmosphere and emotions that Shakespeare intended.
“It helped me as an actor. I started to feel much freer,” he says. “And today, as a director, I still use John Tucker's teachings in my filming process.”
Nabiev was subsequently awarded a grant for a two-week acting course in London studying with Mr Tucker at Rose Bruford College.
“It was my first trip abroad and the feeling was indescribable,” Nabiev recalls. “Before going there, I had studied British culture for a year and was interested in football. Having overcome the language barrier, he excelled in the course and afterwards was offered a chance to continue his studies with a grant covering 50 per cent of the fees.
In 2017, Nabiev participated in the British Council’s ‘Creative Central Asia’ project in Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan. The project was designed to bring together creatives from across Central Asia to network, share experiences and help build a dialogue with national governments and business sectors.
“The idea of creating a company came to me during that time in Astana,” Nabiev smiles. “Seeing others who have been successful in my field was inspiring for me, not only to produce videos but also to aim for even bigger projects. Creative Central Asia gave me the momentum and determination to start my own business.”
In 2019, Nabiev started his production company, Khabi Media, where he and his team produce video and ads. The team has shot and produced more than 50 videos for pop stars like Ulugbek Rakhmatullaev, Munisa Rizayeva and Sevara Nazarkhan, and has worked with companies like Pepsi, Uzbekistan Airways, UzAuto Motors and IIpak Yo'li Bank.
“Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the British Council in Uzbekistan, I want to congratulate my teachers and employees of the British Council, especially Jamila Gulyamova, Indira Ikhlasova and many others who have helped me over the years. I am grateful to the British Council for creating such interesting programmes – I’m so glad that I became a member. These projects inspire everyone involved and provide opportunities for creativity and business. I wish the British Council every success and prosperity as it continues to create such high-quality programmes.”