The Sand Sea

THE SAND SEA was inspired by a detail Carrie learned at a silent film screening of the 1926 version of Beau Geste. Before the movie started, the film historian said “By the way, while they were filming the fort scenes east of LA, they sent two Paris-based newsreel photographers to film a real fort in Africa in 1926. The photographers were kidnapped, held for a ransom of gold and never heard from again.” In a chaotically busy Paris newsroom, ABBY Madison, 35, feisty, confident and emotionally volatile, refuses to take no when her husband MONTY, late 30’s, ruggedly handsome, cocky, Abby’s match, comes out of the boss’s office and says Paramount won’t take the chance on sending a woman to Africa to film a fort for Beau Geste. Without missing a beat, Abby storms into the boss’s office and holds him emotionally hostage until he agrees to send her with Monty to Africa. Back in New York, her estranged twin, CLARA Madison, 35, refined, emotionally controlled, a cautious New York business woman, navigates a solitary life of running the family publishing business while taking care of her ailing, once formidable father ROBERT Madison. When she learns that her estranged twin, Abby and Clara’s ex-boyfriend, Monty have been kidnapped she cannot ignore her childhood vow , "I'll always find you.” She decides to go to Africa to pay the ransom against her father’s adamant protests. Clara meets her guide, FARID, late 30’s North African/Middle Eastern, strong, kind, humble, struggles against internalized oppression, who helps her navigate the Provincial Government bureaucracy. Dissatisfied with the evidence of her sister's assumed death after a failed rescue attempt, Clara ventures into the desert, with Farid, his brother SAMMI, 29, sympathetic to the rebels but walks a fine line to stay loyal to Farid, to search for her sister and unravel the truth. Unbeknownst to Clara, Captain Bernard, French, late 40’s, dignified Commander of French Foreign Legion, a symbol for colonial domination and control, mounts a mission to follow her into the desert to protect her from what are, in his racist view, dangerous “native” influences. The SAHARA DESERT, a constant reminder that Clara needs to find the strength she never knew she had, strips away her defenses. She defies sandstorms, snakes, Abby's captors, her own mortality, Captain Bernard and the stubborn, growing love of Farid. The ultimate discovery of her sister's tragic fate and the power of Farid's persistent love allow Clara to free herself from the ghosts of her past and discover her true inner strength and courage. Her deep connection to Farid and the tragic events that occur in the name of her protection, wake her up to the truth and horror of the systemic racism and oppression bred by an empire. She confronts Captain Bernard’s oppressive and dangerous racism, refuses his protection and declares her loyalty to Farid. Clara's outward search for her twin becomes her inner struggle to find herself and her place in the world. The sand sea is a term that describes the Sahara and implies the constantly shifting and challenging nature of the desert. The script was in development for two years with Lily Rabe committed to executive produce and play the potentially award-winning lead roles of both Clara and Abby. Endeavor Content was interested in executive producing with Lily attached. Unfortunately, due to a long Covid delay and family issues, the original British producer, Tim Baish, had to pull out. Our shopping agreement expired and the control and rights to the script have reverted back to us. At this time, Lily is letting go of the project but Nancy Foy, our casting director, loves the script and is committed to seeing this project succeed. THE SAND SEA is an epic cinematic film with a female protagonist (who is not a marvel superhero) that will not only tear at our heart strings but challenge our understanding of privilege. Recently, Carrie had a dream that word of mouth had people all over the country lining up to see THE SAND SEA. A person in line told her they wanted to be part of a cultural phenomenon. THE SAND SEA uses a Hollywood obsession, Beau Geste remade six times in the twentieth century, to harken back to the days when film was a cultural event. Now, more than ever, we need engaging epic stories like THE SAND SEA to create a shared common experience and heal the seemingly insurmountable divide through imagination and empathy.