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.