Ander
Qumra Projects
/ Short Documentary / Kazakhstan / 2020
In English, Kazakh, Russian
Rated: Mature subject matter. Not suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are not admitted into cinemas.
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Synopsis
A short documentary about the world of an energetic five-year-old-boy who, despite his asthma and a very severe rare dairy allergy that isolates him from other kids during mealtime, simply enjoys his childhood.
Five-year-old Ander lives in Qatar with his family. Ander has a rare severe allergy and asthma. He can die from even one drop of any dairy product, chokes from pizza and milk's smell, and gets a rash if someone touches him after eating any dairy product. In spite of everything, Ander looks like an ordinary, very active and joyful kid. But due to his allergic conditions, he has to eat separately from his classmates at school and brings his own cake to birthday parties. Even with his own brother and parents, they often eat different food. Anderʼs mother is from Kazakhstan and for Kazakh nomads dairy along with meat and dough is seen as a source of life. How to find an identity, if food, which is vital for your forebears kills you? How to protect your kid from the society which has a danger in its food? It is a diary of a dairy-free struggle, fear and a strong will to live, while searching for an identity in a modern Doha.
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.