If you were able to stay on holiday forever, would you? “NowHere Hostel” is a dark comedy series which follows four
backpackers living at the mysterious NowHere hostel where people who check-in never leave.
The temptation to stay on holiday in a warm, exotic country far from the troubles of home is something I have faced many
times during my time on the road. From the age of 21 to 26 years old, I worked and lived in over 20 countries: I would
leave my home country of France for months and come crashing back only once I had completely run out of money.
Backpacking had become my way of life and it was the real world that seemed odd. People back home seemed “stuck” to me:
stuck in a job, stuck with a mortgage, stuck with life. So I would save up again and furiously plan my next travel
destination to leave this world behind.
A lot has changed since then and I no longer feel this way. But when I look back at my time on the road, I remember with
perfect clarity the life-changing encounters I had with bigger-than-life characters.
Set entirely within the walls of a hostel, NowHere Hostel is a series which pays homage to the backpacking community. It follows four characters escaping their problems back
home by living indefinitely at the hostel. However, the more they try to postpone reality, the stranger the hostel
becomes.
The show both celebrates the backpacker lifestyle as well as humorously points out some of its flaws; it explores what brings
people from all walks of life under one roof and embraces these life-changing encounters.
When I think back on my wild days on the road, my thoughts always take me back to the hostels I lived in and the people
I fell in love with. This series is dedicated to all the backpackers, wanderers and dreamers out there who aren’t afraid
to roam the world, one hostel at a time.
Half-French, half-Kiwi, Jen Blackburn is a director based in Wellington. After completing a master’s degree in Asian
Economics and another one in Film, she wandered the world at large for several years and eventually landed in New
Zealand where she became a sculpting and make-up effects teacher at Weta Workshop. Jen’s film work focuses on surreal
worlds where the ordinary meets the bizarre.
You can watch our show here:
Youtube page: NowHere Hostel Series
Facebook page: @NowHerehostelseries
IG Page: @Nowhere_hostel