New documentary film “Nanny Culture” gives insight into UAE lifestyles.

‘Nanny Culture’  follows British nanny Julie Mcilvenny, as she travels to the United Arab Emirates to take care of the 6 Al Hammadi family children and meet and mix with their parents and other regular staff including the cook and the cleaner. The story portrays the interesting and sometimes humorous journey of the learning curve Julie and the family undertake, as two very different cultures come together. This real life documentary is directed by Paul James Driscoll and will be released into select UK cinemas. It opens with the agency in London arranging filming of the new nanny and family.

Julie has to get the children to all eat together round one table, improve the menus on offer to include more fresh salads and vegetables, stop one of the children being addicted to computer games, get the children playing fun pastimes, and obtain some good story books to read to them at bedtime.  She meets up with another nanny in her leisure time and the pair go shopping in the markets and jewellery shops trying on Hijabs and investing in some necklaces with their names written on them in Arabic.

Julie’s English husband and son and baby daughter come to visit her from another part of UAE and she discovers they are coming to live in the same city she works in which makes her and her own family very happy.

A trip to the desert proves eventful and inspiring viewing is on offer as is the capers on the football pitch and the flying of kestrels.

Award winning director Paul James Driscoll worked as director of photography, post production editor and photographer for, among others, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Oxfam, Corbis, the United Nations and the BBC. His main areas of interest lie in social issues and human-interest stories. He won four awards from the prestigious National Press Photographers Association for short films produced while at The National, the UAE newspaper. ‘Nanny Culture’ was produced by Alyazia Bint Nahyan and co-produced by Mazen Alkhayrat.