INDIVIDUALLY, the tales of the Bermuda Triangle, Fountain of Youth, hollow Earth theory, and the lost city of Atlantis, all make for compelling storytelling.
But there are overlooked parallels between them, according to local filmmaker Paul Banseelal.
The director and producer at Total Chaos Productions plans on “exploring the truths” and correcting misconceptions about the legends” in an upcoming film titled, A Passage to Atlantis.
Banseelal plans to release a film, one of a three-part series, later this year or early 2023.
“Not everything you ever heard about Atlantis is true or relevant,” Banseelal told Newsday.
Total Chaos Productions will undertake the ambitious project, initially on a skeletal $500,000 budget, with a 20 per cent expected overrun.
The first instalment, with a two-hour running time, boasts “one of the most intelligent scripts produced in the Caribbean,” according to Banseelal.
The series culminates the director’s 27-plus years of research on the location of the mystical lost city of Atlantis.
Filming is scheduled to run from early August to late October and a shot list is being prepared for the movie, set solely on local soil.
Initially intended to take the form of a documentary, the direction changed to that of a mystery and adventure.
“The topics of the Lost City of Atlantis, Hollow Earth, Bermuda Triangle and the Fountain of Youth were always in question for the past five centuries,” said Banseelal.
“Hollow Earth was around since Edmond Hailey (English astronomer) in the 16th century, then became quite popular in the last few decades when Richard Bird (American explorer) flew into the opening North and then later the South Pole to relate an amazing story of advanced civilisation occupying there."
Atlantis, he claimed, “is still being searched for presently.
“If someone knows its location and the events that transpired 12,000 years ago, the world should be informed, and that’s what this movie is all about.”
[caption id="attachment_962351" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Some of the cast and crew for the upcoming production, A Passage To Atlantis being produced by filmmaker Paul Banseelal. -[/caption]
The main cast comprises seven actors, most of whom have worked with Banseelal in his previous film and television programmes. There are also about 20 actors in less prominent or supporting roles and several additional extras.
Apart from the cast, the nearly 40-person technical team includes, cameramen, lighting technicians, sound engineers, a script director, a wardrobe and makeup director, editors and special effects personnel.
Addressing the initial $500,000 budget, Banseelal said, “That's the film being produced as cost-effective as possible and at the same time maintaining an international standard at every scene of the film.”
The plot begins with Christopher Columbus setting sail to the New World on his first voyage.
“He had a map of Atlantis which was associated with the gold of the Fountain of Youth. When he reached its location, of course, Atlantis
