Ander
Ajyal Competition, Made in Qatar - Ajyal Film Festival 2020
Alina Mustafina / Short Documentary / Kazakhstan, Qatar / 2020 / 14 min / In English, Kazakh, Russian / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
Synopsis
Five-year-old Ander lives in Qatar with his family, and outwardly looks like any ordinary, active and joyful kid. But due to his rare and severe allergy to dairy, he is forced to eat separately from his classmates at school. Ander’s mother, who cares for him around the clock, is from Kazakhstan and for Kazakh nomads, dairy along with meat and dough is regarded as a source of life. How can a boy forge his own identity, when the food which was so crucial for his ancestors threatens his very existence?
About the Director
Alina Mustafina is a Kazakh journalist, writer and a filmmaker currently living in Qatar. She is a real nomad, as her ancestors used to be. She has been changing countries for living since she left her motherland Kazakhstan in 2008 for UAE, Spain, Turkey and now Qatar. Journalism and filmmaking degrees in Spain, professional work and life experience in all those countries make her works to be a combination of searching for an identity and being a citizen of the world. She has a couple of student and independent short films and a book published in Russian. Her last documentary 'Ander' was filmed in Qatar under the mentorship of Oscar-nominated director Rithy Panh during the documentary lab at Doha Film Institute.
Credits
- Director
- Alina Mustafina
- Editor
- Alina Mustafina
- Cinematographer
- Socheat Cheng, Mesa Prum
- Sound
- Falah Hannoun, Severin Favriau