STORY
A rotting root takes down the whole tree
To heal his dysfunctional family, a young boy must uncover the secrets of nature and master the superpower of the heart with the guidance of a Rasta mystic, his guitar and magic mangoes.
Set amid the lush hills and vibrant culture of Jamaica, this uplifting coming-of-age story follows Jazz on a transformative journey into nature and spirituality. At merely 11, he is at a critical moment in his life – a good kid caught in a hostile environment. He finds refuge in a magical world, where he learns about everything from mycelium to ‘livity’–or how to live in harmony with nature, himself and the world. With Adonai’s guidance, he trains to cultivate the breath of life and master the superpower of the heart.
Soon, Jazz must return to face not just his parents, but also the impending loss of his beloved grandpa, which unearths deep family secrets. Will Jazz and his older sister Eva be able to heal the root rot plaguing their father’s heart, the family business and grandpa’s magic mango tree?
VISION
A kaleidoscopic journey of the soul
A film full of magic, grounded in universal human experiences.
Mango Magic explores the very idea of success and wellbeing by contrasting the world of ‘Babylon’ and its materialistic concepts of wealth and self-realization with the more holistic and harmonious worldview of Rasta 'livity'.
The filmmaker envisions a living, breathing, interconnected natural world similar to that of Avatar’s Pandora (but more magical realism and less sci-fi), a shimmering and pulsating environment achieved through the use of deliberate lighting, colour and VFX, including practical tricks, time-lapses, limited CGI and on-set compositing using a hybrid/virtual production process. Sound design also plays a key and crucial role in the film, with elaborate soundscapes that amplify the experiences of the characters, carry meaning and symbolism and create a visceral and immersive story world.
The superpower of the heart is a glowing aura of light that emanates from the heart and ripples out into the environment. When cultivated with practice and used with intention, it has the power to eliminate its antithesis - the veil of the ego, which then evaporates as a layer of dark energy from a person’s body.
We envision a story that is at once beautiful and awe-inspiring, profoundly meaningful and resonant, yet simple and accessible, a film with global and intergenerational appeal that opens the doors of perception and completely changes the way audiences their families see and understand the world and our role in it.
STINKY MANGO
Short in Post-Production
(exp. release early 2024)
When a man realises what truly matters in life, it’s already too late. How does he cope with the emotional turmoil raging inside him? Stinky Mango is a metaphor for what happens when we don't face difficult emotions and instead, let them rot inside. The short film deals with one man's internalised struggle with loss, grief and regret, and its destructive effects on his psyche and family.
Stinky Mango is based on the backstory of one of the leading characters in Mango Magic. Along with it, we are developing a social impact campaign focusing on mental health and emotional wellbeing, especially among men.