Brief

A wilderness photographer ventures on an expedition to a mysterious island searching for the perfect shot and is surprised to discover a hidden village of giant warriors. But when she trespasses to the village's forbidden land, she needs to escape the island before the giants kill her.

What We Liked

This is a fun adventure set in African seas, with an appealing female protagonist and a thrilling plot to discover a mysterious island. The story is filled with ambition, courage, surprises, loss, and the ultimate conquest of recognition.

This would be the perfect summer adventure movie for the whole family to watch. Set on a mysterious Somalian island filled with giant warriors, the story follows Makena, an ambitious photographer searching for recognition. This is a fresh perspective on a story set in Kenya, with a female protagonist with a quality we rarely see in women in adventure movies: unapologetic ambition. With infinite possibilities for remarkable visuals (from the deep ocean to a primitive village created by giants) and a thrilling plot, this movie has everything to be a success.

Key points:
- Potential for remarkable visuals;
- Interesting protagonist;
- Female lead in an adventure movie;
- Fantasy elements;
- Fresh perspective on a story set in Kenya.

Synopsis

When narcissist wilderness photographer Makena finds out she is not her division’s nominated photographer, losing the position to a new and upcoming man, she gets really upset with her boss and avid to improve her performance. The boss tells her she needs to bring the world something never before seen. She meets with her equipment handler, Levoy, at a bar in the city of Nairobi. They drink and talk about ideas that can make Makena stand out; when they can’t think of anything else, Makena goes back home, and Levoy stays behind, drinking. The next day, Makena finds him still hungover, and when Levoy sobers up, he tells her about a fisherman from Somalia who told him about an island that only appears on leap year, February 29th. Makena finds the story fascinating, and they decide to go photograph it.

Makena and Levoy arrive in Mogadishu, Somalia, and attempt to find a ship that could take them to the coordinates on the 29th, but they discover there’s a superstition against sailing on that date, and no captain agrees to take them. Except for Captain Jomo of The Perfect Lady, who owes too much money to the bank to deny the opportunity, even though he too believes in the superstition. Makena, Levoy, Jomo, and his first mate Cornelius along with a small crew prepare for the 5-day trip to come.

Once in the sea, Makena and Jomo get to know each other, and a romantic seed begins to blossom. Meanwhile, Levoy is bullied by Cornelius and his men’s toxic masculinity. They arrive at the right place on the 28th, and Makena sits on the deck, expecting the island. At night, she is awakened by a storm, which gets out of control, and ends up sinking the ship. The only survivors are Makena, Jomo, Levoy, Cornelius, and a crewman named Romell. They spend the night floating on a drifting raft. The next day, Romell is attacked by a shark and dies, but the rest is able to survive.

Makena decides to take out her camera, which was stored in a waterproof bag, and take pictures of the ocean and Jomo. But she sees in the distance an island, and they decide to row their way there. It’s a hard journey, and the group falls asleep before they arrive. When they wake up in the morning, they have been washed up on the beach. Makena wants to explore the island, but Jomo suggests they assess the loss and look for supplies to survive. The foursome builds an improvised camp and searches for coconuts and fish to survive while creating fire to call the attention of passing ships, with no luck. One day, Makena and Jomo walk away from the beach and admire the beauty and danger, of the unknown island, with Makena photographing everything. Another day, Cornelius decides to eat an unknown fruit and dies, poisoned. The three remaining survivors decide to explore the island, afraid they, too, will die. They find traces of human life but choose to observe the people before making themselves known. When night comes, they sleep in the jungle and are awaken by six warriors with unidentified face paintings and over 10 feet tall—giant warriors.

The giants take the trio to a gigantic hut, where they sleep. The next day, they are surprised to find a village where everything is huge and a whole community of giants, women, men, and children. They are taken to their king, EthTar, with whom they can’t communicate. The king gets upset, but eventually, Levoy understands the dialect from something he studied at college and finds a way to communicate. The king, then, invites the trio to join in a feast. The whole village celebrates with food and dances. In the days that follow, the villagers and foreigners exchange knowledge and have fun together. The king’s son, Prince TarTar and Makena grow closer, as they’re both attracted by each other’s differences. Meanwhile, Jomo quietly plans a way to leave the island. Worried, the king orders his guard, Garu, to watch Makena and TarTar.

One day, Makena goes to take pictures around the island with TarTar and Levoy, and they wander too far off the village and into a dark part of the island. Curious, Makena insists the trio explores more. There, they find an old man and a lot of junk. The old man informs them he has been stuck on the island for ten years, and those there are never able to leave. He gives Makena a map and insists that she studies it if she ever plans to leave the island. Spooked, they decide to go back to the village, but the old man is too afraid to follow them. They don’t notice, but Garu watches their every step. Back at the village, where everything is bright, Makena and Levoy give Jomo the map, and he celebrates he can finally finish his escape plan. Jomo believes the map is wrong, but Makena figures out that the island shifts the direction, North is South, and East is West. Meanwhile, Garu tells the king about the visitors exploring the forbidden dark place. They’re called to the royal hut, and the king punishes them by taking away Makena’s camera and exiling them to the dark place. In private, TarTar questions his father and is told that this action is for their village’s protection from the world.

At their hut, the trio plans a way to escape when they’re surprised by TarTar offering help. He gives Makena back her camera and lays out the best place on the island where they can go and find canoes to escape. TarTar distracts the guards until Makena, Levoy, and Jomo can escape. On the pursuit, Levoy is captured. TarTar says good-bye to Makena and creates a diversion to confuse the guards. Makena and Jomo find the canoes but can’t push them to the water because they’re too big. The old man appears to help, and they push the canoe into the water. However, the old man falls, leaving behind only his bag. Jomo and Makena push the canoe as the warriors throw spears at them. Suddenly, the Captain loses his grip on the canoe. He tries to throw Makena her camera, but a spear hits him, and the camera falls onto the water. Makena floats away, alone, in the canoe and into the ocean. Until the island disappears behind her. Days go by, and Makena, scared and alone, passes out on the canoe.

When she wakes up, she’s in the hospital bed and doesn’t remember anything. The doctors are amazed that she is still alive. She’s released, and her boss takes her to the museum while explaining that she was gone for 3 months and considered dead, like the others. But miraculously, she survived. When they arrive at the museum, she sees the gigantic canoe, and memories return to her. A little girl recognizes her as the lady in the canoe. Her boss congratulates her for bringing to the world something never before seen.

About The Author

Marcus L. Smith started as an indie author during the summer of 1991 before getting involved in writing for the screens. He completed six screenplays before returning to books. "A Hidden Village of African Giants" is his first completed project.