Margarita & The Mammoth
A fantasy epic about a young girl on a quest to bring her dead brother back to life. Her journey takes her to Ukraine, where she discovers a portal to another world — one filled with extinct mammals, mysterious human guardians, and the souls of humans frozen in iridescent icicles. Drawing upon ancient folklore, current science, and futuristic technologies, Margarita & the Mammoth is filled with strong characters, dazzling visual possibilities, and a touching and powerful story.
The project was developed in Kyiv by Sundance-winning director/producer Chad Gracia and Ukrainian fantasy author Volodymyr Arenev. Below is a story treatment for a feature or animated film or series, visualizations and background materials for this fantasy film epic. Single page PDF version available here. We are seeking development and production partners. For details, contact Chad Gracia: chad@graciafilms.com
Special thanks to Katerina Bazarova for our Dreambook design, Artem Ryzhykov (currently fighting with the Ukrainian armed forces) for his years of filming and interviewing subjects across Ukraine and Russia for the inspiration and historical background to our story, Assol Abdullina for casting and research, and to Ona Renner and Alex Shvartsman for invaluable proofreading. Also, we are grateful for the development support of Cinereach and the faith of the team there led by Leah Giblin, Elliott Whitton and Andrew Goldman. And most of all to Melo and Rindi Ludwig for their trust, support, and inspiration. - Chad Gracia
