Screenplay © 1994, 1995 Thomas SephtonA feature film project in developement.
Screenplay © 1994, 1995 Thomas Sephton
An epic adventure recreating the historic and mythic worlds of the ancient Maya. A young Maya woman tricks her way into a life of splendor and mystery when she takes her sister's place as a royal bride. The child of a love she left behind becomes the center of a conflict between the Maya gods of the heavens and the underworld. The conflict causes armies to march, kingdoms to fall, and a realignment of divine alliances. Caught up in the social upheaval and pursued by bloodthirsty death gods, the Maya woman finds strength in her love for her young son. She tricks the evil powers, sacrificing the world she grew up in, but finding rebirth for herself and her people.
These photos show present day scenes from the area of the central Yucatan Peninsula where the story is set. Most photos were taken by Phil Bray with several by Tom Sephton from a location scouting trip in 1994.
Digital effects will be employed to recreate what these sites looked like 1300 years ago when they were in daily use by the people who built these cities and temples.
In 800 AD this region supported a population of millions of Maya people living in a collection of city states in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. They shared a common culture of religion, art, athletics, ethnicity, and written language which is being deciphered today.
The film brings archeological discoveries and surviving Maya myths together with common human themes to create a drama that will appeal to modern audiences the world over.
The film will draw on the roughly six million Maya people still living in central America for its acting talent. This is an unusual, but appropriate and cost effective strategy for this unique project.
Recent advances in digital effects make a recreation like this possible without an astronomical budget or damage to sensitive archeological sites.
This film will be the first dramatic feature set in ancient central America. It is unique in featuring a native American cast and creating a compelling story out of threads of myth and ancient history. The film is unique in approach and universal in its appeal to the mystery of the lost Maya civilization.
If you find this project interesting, please contact us by E-mail
The Chichaan project group:
Vision Serpent animation in AVI format
