Me & Her

synopsis

Eldar, a film student and transgender man, prepares to visit his conservative Russian grandmother, who has no idea that she no longer has a granddaughter, but a grandson. In this autobiographical film, he chronicles his transformation into his former female identity for the purpose of this visit, while preparing his film. In it, a fictional encounter takes place in which he comes out to his grandmother – just not the real one. The documentary is a personal account of identity and intergenerational conflict in the post-Soviet world.

“There is nothing to say about my grandmother. She had the life of an ordinary Soviet woman: Pioneers, the Communist Party, a cheating husband, an incessant household. She devoted her whole life to raising children: my mother, and then later me. I hope that it paid off considering how it turned out.” (Eldar Basmanov)

biography

Russian-born filmmaker Eldar Basmanov (b. 1999) received his degree from the Baltic Film and Media School in Estonia, where he made several short films and documentaries. He focuses on topics such as marginalized groups, subcultures, and the question of identity. Ahmed Fouad Ragab (b. 1989) is an Egyptian artist, filmmaker, and photographer. He originally studied conceptual art in Alexandria, later moving to Estonia where he graduated from the Baltic Film and Media School. He is now continuing his studies in documentary filmmaking in London.

more about film

director:	Ahmed Fouad Ragab, Eldar Basmanov
producer:	Ahmed Fouad Ragab

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