The Streets Barber Stories follows Nasir who walks the streets helping those in need with the simple act of a free haircut.

Interview with Director Vidad Narayan

Watch The Streets Barber Stories here:

Main image: From episode 3, Ganesh and his brother’s bond helped them through tough times living on the streets.

Congratulations! Why did you make your webseries?

Thank you! Well, when we saw firsthand what Nasir was doing by helping those in need with the simple act of giving a free haircut, and more so his ability to create genuine relationships with his ‘street clients’, we were captivated! It was confronting and amazing all at the same time, hearing extremely personal accounts from their lives, some of which were sooooo foreign to our daily lives. As a social race we are all interested in other people (or at least most of us!), and there is always some takeaway that could be applied to our own daily lives even from those going through some really tough times.

And so, from there, the idea sparked! As we developed it, we knew what we were trying to do. The Streets Barber Stories is a series about making connections with those you pass on the streets, and the importance for us all to be open, and be willing to learn from each other.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this webseries?

You never know what you are going to learn from someone else, so drop your preconceived ideas when thinking of someone at face value. Some of these stories completely caught us off guard, and we feel like it’s an important show that shares with our audiences stories from people we would rarely get a chance to hear from. For some, these stories are so far removed from our day to day interactions (or our comfortable life bubbles) and so there’s value in hearing from those you might see daily but never hear from.

The Streets Barber Stories - Aaron, beaming with positivity now, having lived through a past of drug abuse and homelessness.

How do personal and universal themes work in your webseries?

These stories, are essentially, each person's personal account of their lives - and sometimes it can be extremely personal thoughts they are willing to share. We find more often than not, surprisingly, most people we meet are very willing to share their personal life struggles and challenges, their history, what their little wins might be! We realised, for even those that seemed a little shy, they wanted to be heard and really enjoyed the little connection we (mainly Nasir of course) were able to give. These accounts don’t always relate to our own lives directly, and yet there is no way not be moved because they relate directly to all our shared humanity.

Universally, we find it very interesting how even the most foreign stories can share similar themes to each of our lives. Although we all face different problems and challenges in life, a lot of the ways we deal with things can be very similar: temptation, disappointment, inequality, financial issues, family; the list goes on and on. Not everyone of us has been addicted to heroin, but addiction is something we all know. And breaking down the different reasons we are all drawn to our struggles can be very eye opening. There are definitely some episodes though that are very foreign, which is a huge draw in its own right.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The series started as an online experiment, and is constantly evolving. We are forever looking at new ways that we can share these stories. We have the luxury of creating episodes as we see fit, whether that be an interesting story to tell or the ability to go out and film. That’s how we started the series, as something we were doing for ourselves, which allowed us the liberty to create as we wanted.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

It’s been overwhelmingly positive, which has been really great. A lot of it comes from supporters of the Streets Barber project, so it’s hard to differentiate between feedback that comes from those that are simply supportive of the service that Nasir is doing outside of the video element or the quality of production itself. In general though, its been very lovely to hear a lot of nice things. :)

The Streets Barber Stories - Harry was a very generous and patient person, he kept letting others receive a haircut first even though he was there before.

We’ve now taken it to a few Web Series festivals, including in LA and Melbourne, and people are genuinely intrigued! We realise it’s a different kind of show than one's regular online viewing, where this requires a readiness to challenge yourself as opposed to an easy ‘popcorn’ viewing, but those that are willing to actively engage really love it!

What are you looking to achieve by having your webseries more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Moving forward there are a few things that we are gunning for. A bigger exposure is of course amazing!

We are also looking for new angles and subjects for the next season of the show. So far being a self funded production, we are investigating how we can benefit other organisations and brands, and at the same time that would help support us.

Also, one of the biggest benefits so far has been the people getting in contact and sharing with us ideas of people as potential stories, as well as topics they think we should explore. We absolutely welcome anyone wanting to get in contact with us, so please do!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this webseries’s message?

Currently, we are looking at teaming up with brands as sponsors and charity organisations for a new version of the show online. We’re also looking at distribution channels that would be interested in hosting the content we have already created, as well those in the pipeline.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this webseries to have?

Nasir keeps talking about the project as a whole as a movement, and we really believe that these videos are helping support people coming together in figuring out what they can do in their local environment to help those in need.

The Streets Barber Stories - It was heard breaking to hear Lindsay’s story, who suffered homelessness having lost most of his family dealing with his being on the Autism spectrum.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this webseries?

Great question! I’m struggling to think of something specific from within the episodes, yet one thing that comes to mind which we are always having internal discussions about; what form of action is actually charity as opposed to what is simply acts that make our own selves feel better? This can be applied to us actively making the show, or even those who passively watch the series and get a warm fuzzy feeling - but then what? How much impact does that really have?

You know, it’s a tough question, and we see it reflected back to us often when discussing the greater purpose of a show like this that can be seen as ‘using’ our subjects to create videos, especially when there’s meant to be an element of charity to it.

Through a lot of our discussions, we do feel however, that there can be significant good that comes from giving people a voice and space to be heard. We’d be very interested in hearing people’s honest opinions on these topics though!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

That’s a secret! haha. We have some very exciting things in the pipeline, mostly online documentaries. It’s an interesting space that we are keen to explore!

Interview: May 2018

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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The Streets Barber Stories

The Streets Barber Stories follows Nasir who walks the streets helping those in need with the simple act of a free haircut.

Length: 11 x Episodes

Director: Vidad Narayan & Bryce McCoy (Round 3)

Producer: Round 3, Nasir Sobhani, Nima Sobhani

About the writer, director and producer:

Round 3 focuses on authentic documentary storytelling, focusing on short form within the online realm.

Key cast:

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):

Social media handles: round3.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/round3creative/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/round.3/

Other: vimeo - https://vimeo.com/round3

Funders:

Made in association with:

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

The Street Barber Stories - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqzIPevnaLVAPyw6ytuR-tE1tkyVQLv_3