Blending together such diverse genres as gritty drama, contemporary political commentary and folk fantasy is one of the best ways for movies to explore the world’s most vital societal issues. That’s certainly the case for the upcoming short film, ‘Ill Fares the Land,’ which explores the migrant crisis and the rise of the far-right in a small seaside town in England.

In honor of the drama’s upcoming distribution later this year, a first look trailer for the project has been released. The movie follows a young boy as he finds a mermaid washed up on the shores of his seaside home, while his older brother is swept up in the rising tide of far-right nationalism.

Patrick Ireland wrote and directed ‘Ill Fares the Land.’ The short stars Noah Silvertone, Ruaridh Aldington, Eddie Chamberlin and Ruairi Conaghan.

While discussing ‘Ill Fares the Land,’ the award-winning Ireland said: “The Mermaid in the film acts as a metaphor for the asylum seekers currently making the perilous journey across the English channel to reach the shores of Britain, only to be met by hatred and violence from large swathes of the native population. Fueled by a right-wing media and collapsing living standards, these people have become lost to fascism – and alienated from their own humanity.” He added: “But what lies at the heart of the film is the commonality between asylum seekers and the working-class communities that have turned against them. Pain.”

For more information on ‘Ill Fares the Land,’ visit its Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as Ireland’s Twitter page.