The World Around Me short film releases 11 September

The Outlook for Someday and Caravan Carpark Films present The World Around Me, the new offering of writer & director Hasan Arslan and debut of producer Gretchen Hatton.

Releasing online, The World Around Me will be avaliable with the other films released as part of Someday Stories Series 7 on The Outlook For Someday Website and YouTube.

Set in 2001, post 9/11, The World Around Me follows a second-generation immigrant boy as he navigates life as an outsider in Aotearoa alongside his mother and brother.
 
The World Around Me is a deceptively simple story but is underlined by complex themes of racism, division, survival and, ultimately, hope. Inspired by Arslan’s childhood, this film explores the realities of inter-generational immigration, the blending of diverse cultures and the preservation of Turkish heritage of Aotearoa. It showcases the love Turkish people share for food, community and family. It also sheds light on the inspiring journey of an Afghan refugee family, finding solace and a new home despite their challenging past.
 
The World Around Me is possibly Aotearoa’s first Middle Eastern short film and aims to fill a void of Middle-Eastern stories in Aotearoa from the Turkish community.
 
Arslan and Hatton, both of whom are second-generation immigrants, are not new to the film industry. Arslan comes from a background in Music video directing and film production, and Hatton worked in documentary filmmaking in the UK pre-Covid and returned to Aotearoa in 2020 to work in film production. Both have worked in the indigenous space telling other community’s stories for some time including award-winning films MURU and WE ARE STILL HERE. The World Around Me was an exciting opportunity to share their stories and love for screen & culture with the rest of Aotearoa and the world.
 
The World Around Me marks the acting debut of Turkish talent Ali Isik, Sev Ozan and Ege Guleray. The casting of which required a grassroots approach to find the right cast.
 
This is Caravan Carpark Films second project supported by the Someday Stories initiative. It’s first was I AM WARU, a docu-film that became the catalyst for establishing the company in 2019. Partnering with Arslan and Hatton on The World Around Me marks a special stepping-stone for Caravan Carpark Films whose aim was to support them to build capacity as filmmakers and spotlight excellent and entertaining stories, that just so happen to be indigenous.
 
The World Around Me is one of the six films in Series 7 of Someday Stories, an annual series of sustainability-focused short films by emerging young filmmakers from Aotearoa, New Zealand. Someday Stories is produced by Connected Media with support from NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho in association with Whakaata Māori and RNZ.