In this episode of Community Hour on U Multicultural, host Graham McDonald speaks with Oluwatosin Ayilara, the director of the new fish-out-of-water comedy series Cold Arrival.
Cold Arrival follows a Nigerian newcomer as he finds his footing in Winnipeg and strikes up friendships with other immigrants.
Ayilara trained at the London Film Academy and has worked on films in Nigeria and Canada.
He wanted the series to reflect Winnipeg’s diversity.
“It’s more the diversity because Winnipeg, as a home to most of us, is a home to so many immigrants.”
Ayilara drew on his own experience. He found work within a week of arriving in Canada, but it took six months to land the job he wanted.
“I realized that there are a lot of immigrant stories out there, and most of them focus on the struggles and the, I would say, the pain that people go through. But I really wanted to tell this story of what happens after you arrive.”
The series follows characters from India, Colombia and Nigeria as they get to know one another. Ayilara said sharing food is one way those friendships start in Winnipeg.
“For example, it’s the culture of potluck that we all do, right? We all bond together over different food and flavours,” Ayilara explained.
Ayilara described Winnipeg as one of the main characters in the series. The trailer features recognizable shots of downtown, including the Manitoba Legislative Building and the Golden Boy.
“As a filmmaker myself, I film different hours of the days, and there’s sometimes when you have the golden sun, and I look at them like, wow, this is Winnipeg.”
The crew rented a transit bus for one scene. During a shoot at the airport in temperatures around −40 C, Ayilara took off his gloves.
“We couldn’t feel our hands for like a whole 20 minutes.”
Ayilara said he hopes both newcomers and lifelong Canadians will watch the series.
Cold Arrival premieres at WAG-Qaumajuq on Nov. 20. The event begins at 5 p.m. and includes a panel discussion before the screening of the first four episodes.
Graham McDonald, U Multicultural Journalism and Media Arts Centre.