Episode 15 - Reality Check with Elyor Nematov

In this episode, Simon and Joanna talk with Elyor Nematov, a
documentary photographer and filmmaker — a true cosmopolitan born
in Bukhara. How did his hometown inspire him, a place caught
between deep orthodoxy and a drive to see reality in new ways?
(“Bukhara doesn’t like anyone who doesn’t love languages — you
have to be multidirectional there.”)


Elyor shares how photography gave him fast access to truth and
how he now travels the world to capture reality while carrying a
piece of Bukhara with him. We discuss his documentaries, which
portray life and people in Uzbekistan, and ask: why is the
documentary format still a rarity but also, how is this changing?
How does his audience react to his films and why does this
reflect a wider characteristic of Uzbek society?


The conversation also explores postcolonial change and its effect
on the Uzbek identity, and the need for Central Asia and the West
to learn from one another. Through Elyor‘s eyes as well as
through his camera’s lens we get a special insight into how
Uzbekistan is doing at what seems to be a unique and critical
moment of change in its history.