Doordash’s “Beyond The Dash” program probes that with the right support, it’s Dashers are capable of anything.
“For many Dashers, DoorDash is one step in their journey toward their ultimate destination. We are a through street to their dreams and ambitions. Beyond the Dash is an ongoing program dedicated to creating access to opportunity that helps Dashers pursue their passions, whether that means getting a Dasher’s talent the exposure they deserve or helping an entrepreneur gain access to the opportunities they need,” Doordash said about the program.
Dasher Özgür Seyben is originally from Turkey, where he worked as an educator of film and a filmmaker. In 2017, he and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Twin Falls, Idaho. While working at a yoghurt factory, Özgür found that he needed to put his creativity and love of creating films on hold to support his family. But when he found Doordash, he very quickly began to love the freedom and flexibility that the job offered, and it would eventually lead him to create the Tribeca Festival hit, Alien (The Other).
Alien (The Other), written by Özgür Seyben and directed by Patricia Riggen is an intense but occasionally lighthearted short that allows viewers to go on a journey about what they are afraid of and why. It’s intensely thought provoking and the acting and cinematography is off the charts. The story takes place in a beautiful home in the countryside, where a woman is getting ready for bed. Her slumber doesn’t last very long however, as she is quickly awoken by an intruder. The point of view of the filming allows us to follow her through the house as she wanders through a nightmare, one that blurs the lines of who the dreamer truly is.
Özgür’s script was chosen out of a pool of scripts written by Dashers to be produced as part of the Beyond the Dash program, and was chosen out of over 100 scripts. Making films is his passion, one that he never gave up on despite having to start all over again in a new country. The concept of the film comes from how he and his family found it strange how they were called “aliens” when they lived to the states. “In many ways this story is my story. It’s the story of an alien, written by an alien. I wanted to explore both meanings of that word in one film,” he shared.
On Wednesday, Manhattan’s Roxy Cinema hosted the premiere of Özgür’s incredible film. Followed by a panel moderated by Good Morning America’s Alicia Quarles, it was amazing to hear all about his story.
Hear more about “Alien (The Other)” and Doordash’s Beyond The Dash program here!
