My Babushka: Searching Ukranian Identities

To fulfill a promise to her Ukrainian grandmother, filmmaker Barbara Hammer travels from New York to Ukraine in 2001. What begins as a personal journey tracking down relatives in villages such as Ternopil and Zbarazh, becomes a portrait of a country struggling with its identity following the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

With her camera in hand, Hammer moves from the streets to the countryside, creating a portrait in the distinctive visual style of her work—using double exposures, distorting lenses, and playful editing techniques. She speaks with artists, journalists, and ordinary citizens about daily life in a fractured country. As a lesbian filmmaker with Jewish roots, she also explores themes such as rising antisemitism, traditional gender roles, and queer emancipation.

Combining family history and political observation My Babushka: Searching Ukrainian Identities is an honest yet poetic documentary about what it means to be Ukrainian in a society in transition.

This screening is part of Focus: Barbara Hammer, a program presenting films by American filmmaker and visual artist Barbara Hammer. See the full program here.