Mandaragat
Karen Harnisch, Film Forge
Language: English & Tagalog
Based On: Original Screenplay
Project Type: Feature Film (Scripted)
Genre: Drama
Stage of Development: Packaging/Financing
Estimated Length (minutes): 110
Director: Shasha Nakhai & Rich Williamson
Currency: $ CAD
List names of confirmed partners:
Mongrel Media, Epic Media (Co-Producer-Philippines)
What is this project seeking?
Financing, Sales Agent, Co-production Partner
Logline:
A Filipino sailor finds new family aboard a cargo ship populated by pirates, scoundrels and eccentrics. The allure of fortune and adventure pulls the crew into a void where time is fragmented and familial connections severed: a space inhabited by a vengeful spirit with horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Synopsis:
MANDARAGAT brings us on board a decaying container cargo ship bound from Shanghai to Germany, by way of the West African coast. Our protagonist is JM, a 21 year old Filipino seafarer and former pro gamer. He gets a job on the ship to support his family and ailing grandmother back home and is soon flanked by a colourful cast of pirates, scoundrels and eccentrics:
His obnoxious roommate HELERA, who is a budding YouTube influencer.
Karaoke queen CHIEF BOY.
The quiet and mysterious ENGINEER ART.
CHIDIAC, the Lebanese captain who previously ran a cruise ship aground.
JUAN, purveyor of Rogaine, condoms, and skin whitening cream.
And the superstitious manong ANTHONY, who frequently talks to a bamboo back scratcher named Bob.
At first, JM doesn’t quite fit in. He comes off as straight-edged - morally righteous even. But the ship is lawless, and only the ruthless survive. He begins to ingratiate himself to the rest of the crew…but something isn’t quite right. Everyone is acting a bit strange. There’s something hidden in the ship’s freezer... and when they dock in Nigeria, a coffin-sized box is carried off the gangway. As our characters journey further into the unknown, they become more disconnected from reality. Isolation paves the way to seemingly supernatural occurrences. Time begins to fragment and they are pulled deeper into a dreamlike hellscape - a trick mirror that uses their deepest desires, hopes and dreams to entrap and consume.
Contact Information: nancyurich@gmail.com
