Aybars
The Stranger
An Ottoman who has lost his belonging and identity and must rebuild himself.
Approach
The most eastern piece of a story never told
We all think we know how the modern world was founded. It is usually told from a single perspective — the West's narrative of discovery. The Stranger was designed to shake that narrative at its centre and add an unexpected, powerful variable to the equation: an Ottoman.
The project unfolds in an arena where the steel will of the Spanish Empire, the lost legacy of the Ottomans, the mystery of the Aztec, Maya and Native civilisations, and the resistance of ancient tribes deep in the forest all intersect. The story is fuelled by the tension born from the collision of languages, faiths and worldviews.
The unexpected bond Aybars forms with the indigenous culture — shared echoes of honour, the warrior spirit and a spiritual relationship with nature — forms the most original and universal vein of the project. This is not an "us and them" story; it is the story of the potential to become "all of us" in the face of a merciless new order.
At its core, The Stranger is the journey of a man who has lost his belonging and identity, rebuilding himself. We are aiming at a prestige production with high production values that brings together epic naval battles, claustrophobic jungle tension and a shattering human drama.