Image+Nation
I'VE NEVER MET MYSELF

I'VE NEVER MET MYSELF

OZAN EMRE KAYAS | GERMANY | 2026 | 9 MIN | ENGLISH + ITALIAN EST

OZAN EMRE KAYAS | GERMANY | 2026 | 9 MIN | ENGLISH + ITALIAN EST

IN-CINEMAVIRTUALShortBECOMING

Subtitles: English

NOV 21 / 18:00Cinéma Public505 Rue Jean-Talon E. Montréal, QC H2R 1T6 (métro Jean-Talon)

Synopsis

Back home after a night on stage, Kim strips away the remnants of her drag persona. As each layer of performance disappears, painful memories resurface, forcing her to confront what she has been trying to leave behind.

Filmmaker Bio

Ozan Emre Kayas is a Turkish-German screenwriter and director based in Germany. His work explores queer experiences and questions of identity and belonging. Alongside the screenwriting programme at ILS, completed in 2025, he gained on-set experience, including a job-shadowing placement in the directing department. His debut short film I've Never Met Myself was supported by Filmbüro Franken and finished in 2026.

Director's Statement

Drag is an art form of becoming visible. Onstage, Kim decides how the world sees her. Beyond the stage, that visibility can expose her to danger. The film grew out of conversations with Kim, a trans woman who plays the lead, about a transphobic assault she experienced. I felt compelled to confront the hostility queer people still face and what it leaves behind. This is what cinema can do: make it harder to look away.

Producer

Ozan Emre Kayas

Writer

Ozan Emre Kayas

Cast

  • Kim Carboni
  • Alois Gonzalez
  • Klemens Valentino Laumer
  • Tim Stolberg
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