Genre
Synopsis
Set in a forbidden zone like the one that surrounds the Chernobyl plant and inspired by fairytales that show us what children must survive during wartime, THE RED FOREST explores the nature of magic, evil and healing in a broken world. The area around the Chernobyl Plant, called “The Red Forest”, has been poisoned for decades. Surprisingly, though, nature has thrived in the exclusion zone precisely because humans have left it alone: it’s filled with vibrant plant life and mutated animals. In 2022, when Russian soldiers drove armored vehicles into the forest, they kicked up radiated dust, dug trenches and quickly fell sick. They also trapped Ukrainian engineers inside the plant, forcing them to work long hours under inhumane conditions. That’s where our story begins.
Two siblings, GRETA, 15, and HANS, 17, set out across an irradiated forest to find their nuclear engineer father, who’s being held captive by invading soldiers in a nuclear power plant that melted down in the 80’s – like the one at Chernobyl. The story follows the teens as they face animals mutated by decades of radiation and a “WITCH” known for cooking and eating children. It turns out that the “witch” is a woman who was born with congenital disorders after the disaster three decades ago and then abandoned to die in the forest. She’s the one human who’s learned to live in harmony with what nature has become in the no man’s land of the forest. She gives the children mushrooms that can cleanse radiation and teaches Greta how to form a magical connection with the animals, wind and dust of the woods.
Things become more complicated when Greta and Hans arrive at the nuclear plant and meet THE INVADING SOLDIERS. Abandoned by his government and desperate for food that isn’t poisoned by radiation, their leader, CAPTAIN KURSKY, has resorted to feeding his men their hostages: CHILDREN FROM GRETA AND HANS’ CITY. As Hans commits terrible acts to protect his sister, he pulls away. Greta is left on her own, armed only with her newfound belief in the witch’s dark brand of magic. She must face Captain Kursky by herself or watch the invaders destroy not just her family but her city and continent, as well.
Bio
Liz Fania Werner, originally from the Bronx, NY, got her MFA in TV and Screenwriting from USC where she earned an Annenberg Fellowship. She went on to write on television drama RPM Miami for Mun2 network, a member of the NBC/Universal family; to develop the feature adaptation of the novel Babylon Sisters by Oprah Book Club author Pearl Cleage and to pen a biopic about WNBA player Abby Bishop for Sentient Entertainment. “Into the Uncanny Valley,” the award-winning short film that she wrote and co-directed with Carlos Montaner, was featured in 11 film festivals, including L.A.’s Screamfest and HBO’s New York Latino Film Festival. Most recently, she wrote and co-directed her first feature film, Waking Karma, a psychological thriller starring Michael Madsen, distributed by XYZ Films.
Credits
Producer - John Ferraro
