2m²

Tayfun, an undertaker for the Belgian-Turkish community, has to help families decide where their loved ones will be buried. With his dry humour and daily negotiations, Volkan Üce’s newest film 2M² reveils the mix of connection, bureaucracy, and small absurdities which shape the life between the two homelands.

How Much Land Does a Man Require? is the English title of a short story written by Leo Tolstoy in 1886. In modern terms, the answer might be: 2m² – the size of a grave. That is the sector in which Genk-based Tayfun Veli Arslan has found success: laying the deceased to rest. Yet at almost every funeral, one specific question accompanies him: where exactly should the final resting place be? Most people who require his services are immigrants or their descendants, and many families prefer not to bury their loved ones in Belgian soil, but in their country of origin. That choice brings complications, sometimes serious, sometimes absurd, and Arslan’o has learnt to deal with them with a straight face and a remarkable dose of dry humour.

His approach transforms 2M² into something few would expect: a documentary about a funeral director who is passionate about his work, mindful of its ethical weight, and undeterred by the import-export complications of international funerals — ultimately resulting in an accessible and often light-hearted look at intercultural differences. With this, Volkan Üce builds on the tragicomic perspective with which he previously impressed in ALL-IN, about two young employees at a Turkish all-inclusive resort. Once again, he combines humour and warmth with a sharp insight into community, migration and identity. The film also received a Special Mention from the National Competition Jury at this year’s Docville International Film Festival, which praised the film for its balance of humour and authenticity, and the sensitive way in which themes such as migration, grief, identity and connection are handled.

“We would like to give a special mention to a film that masterfully walks a tonal tightrope. Like its charismatic protagonist, it approaches a heavy, emotional, and universal subject with both lightness and sensitivity. At the same time, the film engages with themes of the transgenerational impact of migration, transnational identity, and the search for belonging within a community. It also reflects on how grief—and the rituals surrounding it—has increasingly become entangled in our capitalist systems. For making us reflect on a topic many prefer to avoid, and for striking a compelling balance between humor and authentic storytelling, this special mention goes to Volkan Üce for 2M². ”, according to the jury of the Docville 2026 national competition.