Hummingbird - Press Kit PDF

Evan & Kaisar Productions
Hummingbird © 2016
by Yohan Riba Martinez and Ricky Valentin
© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

kaisar@evanandkaisar.com 1 of 22
Hummingbird © 2016
“ What would you do if the person you love the most, one day decided to join ISIS?
”
Hummingbird © 2016
THE PREMISE
When Amy Anderson, a beautiful, young, blonde, blue-eyed, American girl, finds herself seduced on Facebook by
Nero, a high Emir from Syria, her sudden disappearance menaces to break some fundamental pillars of our society.

Hummingbird © 2016
THE STORY
Another young girl has vanished in thin air.

Without leaving a trace. No ransom asked, no clothes packed, no note left behind.
Sam, a charming, reckless, but determined French blogger with her own runaway issues, rattled
by the evident concealment of the authorities, finds the resolve to uncover the truth behind Amy’s
disappearance. Thinking she can outsmart Nero, the man behind the curtain, Sam sets herself to fake
her own social media persona in order to bait one of the most dangerous and prominent recruiters from
ISIS. But when exposed to the same speech that allured Amy in the first place, Sam soon begins to
question her own society, her own beliefs, and moreover, her own sanity.
Not that far, Kyle, an affable, hard-working immigrant, stroke by a strange illness and nothing but
a few months to live, is on the verge of witnessing the disappearance of his close sister, Mattie. A young
girl full of passion and ideals about making this world a better place; just like Amy. Unable to understand
what could have possibly hatched in her mind, and in order to prevent what may be the largest
homegrown chain of attacks ever planned on US soil, Kyle decides to track her steps throughout Europe
all the way to Syria. But to penetrate the core of the nest, he will be asked to prove his loyalty to the
cause and risk losing touch with his own humanity.
Two parallel stories set in a dangerous collision course against a backdrop of ever shifting
motivations and alliances.

Hummingbird © 2016
THE THIN RED LINE —
Cornered against a wall and desperately yielding ground in the middle east, ISIS resolves to eradicate its enemies from
within. Their new battleground, social media. Their new target, the intimacy of our homes and bedrooms.
Spreading their word like wild fire through the networks, and inseminating the minds of young men and women all over the
world, a new kind of terrorist nation arises. A nation without borders, embodied by the familiar faces of the people we love the most
and never thought capable of violence.
From mass shootings, to truck driving in public places, Hummingbird dives into the intricate minds of those
responding to the call, to shed light on the psychological and emotional fissures throughout which ISIS and its radical
ideology have found a new home.
— THE WAR WITHIN.

Hummingbird © 2016
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS
In May 2015, the United Nations Security Council estimated more than 25,000 foreign fighters from more than 100
countries have joined ISIS and other jihadist groups in Syria.*
More than 5,000 European citizens and residents have become foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq. Approximately 1,200
have left France, 400 left Belgium.
In June 2015, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence estimated that more than 250 individuals from the U.S.
had traveled or attempted to travel to the conflict area, a few dozen had joined the ranks of ISIS, and some 20 had
died. **
In October 2015, the FBI director, James Comey revealed that the FBI had a staggering 900 active investigations
against homegrown violent extremists.***
At this date, we have all witnessed an unprecedented increase in radical mass shooting and truck driving across the
country, and the world. Latest on US soil being this October 31st, 2017 in Manhattan.
As the geographical territory of ISIS diminishes in the middle east, the Caliphate expands virtually, finding its way into
the homes and bedrooms of young men and women all over the world through Social media. Perfecting their strategies
and techniques to lure and seduce our children, they manage to remotely convince them into joining their war and
committing unfathomable acts of terrorism for them.
* United Nations’ Security Council, “Action Against Threat of Foreign Terrorist Fighters Must be Ramped Up, Security Council Urges in High-Level Meeting,”
7453rd Meeting (AM), May 29, 2015.
** Barbara Starr, “’A Few Dozen Americans’ in ISIS Ranks,” CNN, July 15, 2015.
*** Kevin Johnson, “Comey: Feds have Roughly 900 Domestic Probes about Islamic State Operatives,” USA Today, October 23, 2015.

Hummingbird © 2016
THE INCITING INCIDENT - or - Why we decided to tell this story.
My wife and I grew up in France, believing in diversity and integration. At school we played with kids from different cultures. As
adults our friends all came from different backgrounds. It never occurred to us that we were supposed to erect walls between us and
others not looking or thinking like us. Then, on November 13th, 2015 our belief system got shattered to pieces.
Right underneath the balcony of the apartment where my wife and I used to live, gunmen opened fire, killing 15 and wounding
 
tens of innocent people eating in Le Petit Cambodge and Le Carillon restaurants. Our street, Rue Alibert, was one of the first venues to
be hit during that deadly day, which claimed the lives of 130 people in a string of shootings across the city. The images of lifeless bodies
marked a profound shift in our mindset.
For the first time, our neighborhood, our city and our country were no longer a cradle for unity. And we could feel it all around us,
even within the walls of our own family, when a few members started to become more and more radicalized.
A BEACON OF LIGHT
When someone from your own country, let alone your own family, decides to become a part of a terrorist movement, it strikes
everybody out of the blue. But in truth, a myriad of events have been taking place in that person's psyche well before that crucial
moment of commitment.
All over the web, there are people fully dedicated to find, target and recruit among our peers fresh members for their
organization. Right under our noses, chatting on social media, someone is delivering a well designed speech to lure and convince our
loved ones away, by tapping into their emotional need for purpose and belonging. This is the momentous stage we often fail to discern,
because it seems eerily unrelated to the radicalization. And yet, it is precisely because of that sense of alienation, from a perceived
sinful and greedy society, that our youth, in a desperate need for change, feels inclined to listen to those claiming to have a solution.
When our friends, sons or daughters commit to these radical movements, they not only hope their lives are going to
change for the better, they also believe they're going to change the world for the better.
Hummingbird aims to show the complex emotional layers inciting ordinary young people to become violent extremists.

Hummingbird © 2016
  SO WHY HUMMINGBIRD?
It all comes from a symbolic tale that used to bond Mattie and Kyle together.
We urge you to watch the first 5 minutes of Episode 1 (61min), available for private screening online, and listen to
Nero give his own interpretation of the tale.
Underneath all the complex dynamics of this character driven story, we have chosen to plant at its core a more
precious gift.
Following the hummingbird path is about finding the courage to do the right thing, even when you feel alone doing it.
If you don’t get to change the world all by yourself, you might at least inspire others to do so.
“Because showing the example is not the best way to change the world.
It is the only one.”
Episode 1
www.hummingbirdTVshow.com/pilot
password:
intricatelayers

Hummingbird © 2016
 
— WHERE WE STAND —
When tackling such a contemporary and controversial subject it is crucial to know exactly where we stand.
All of our characters come from different backgrounds and represent a highly diversified set of religions and cultures. We
believe America was and is still being forged in great measure by immigration, and to remain true to its multi-cultural nature, the
Hummingbird series aims to give a voice to each relevant ethnicity in this conflict.
It is crucial to understand that despite all of our cultural barriers and differences of opinion, it is only united that we can keep
our nation from falling further apart.
This is precisely the union that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) intends to threaten. Their war is not only against our
“sinful” western society but primarily against the Muslims who live in our western world and have embraced our culture as their own.
ISIS strives to turn the world against these muslims and by means of terror and bombing they seek to cloud our judgment in order to
fear all muslims are terrorists. It is our duty to remember the difference and not let the fear take the best of our judgment, or
else we would be giving ISIS a plain victory.
Our lineup of characters will constantly bring these conflicts up to mind.

Hummingbird © 2016
NERO So beware of him, for he can outsmart

even the brightest of us all put together. He
Take a good look at this man, for he is knows how to find the weakness in your heart
not who you think he is. He bears many names and he always finds the right words to get you on
and personalities, but none authentically his side. He might even persuade you, the one
reveals his true nature. hiding behind the screen reading this paper and
watching this series, that what he does is
On one hand, he ingeniously persuades actually right.
young American men and women to go self
implode in terrorist attacks all over the globe. And you’ll constantly be wondering, is he
On the other hand, he publicly shows himself a bad guy? Is he a good one? Is there even a
as a devoted American muslim fighting against place in between when this many people all
the impact of ISIS and the awful propaganda around the world are getting killed because of
they make against the Islamic community as a him?
whole.
Figuring out which side is he truly on and
In between, you’ll see him wearing what does he truly want, will be the keys to solve
several other confusing masks and all of his the thick mystery behind this plot.
actions will seem to contradict each-other. Yet,
make no mistake, he is driven by a very clear
goal and he has set forth a very meticulous
plan to achieve it. A plan which will drastically
affect all of our characters' lives.

Hummingbird © 2016
AMY AND ELISABETH ANDERSON
This is where our story begins. Amy and Elizabeth are 2 versions of the same pretty young all
American girl. One is shy, very girly and naïve. The other is a tomboy, fierce and purpose driven.
Both popular in high school, prom queen and cheerleader, raised in a catholic environment, the story
starts when Amy, having fallen into the hands of Nero, has devoted herself to a terrorist cause.
She disappears without leaving a trace, no note, no clothes packed, no ransom asked, and all the
posters in her room ripped apart.
How did such a smart, popular, pretty young girl possibly fall into such a radical path? Was she
forced or brainwashed? Did she make a conscious choice? And why no one saw it coming? Not even her
own twin sister?
These questions, will call Sam to enter a dark world of psychological games where one can easily
loose track of oneself.

Hummingbird © 2016
SAM LEVEQUE

Stubborn like a ram, and highly impatient. Sam is above all things reckless. But also highly intuitive and purpose
driven. In an innocent way, she arrays the charisma and the elegance of a graceful French woman. At least until you see
her pouring coffee on her glamorous dress… Then yes, she’s very clumsy too.
Running away from her responsibilities and a guilty past, Sam landed in the United States a few years back, looking
for a new start. She got married to Zahir, an Amercian Muslim cop who helped her out when she most needed help.

Sam’s issue is that she’s unable to commit to anything. Or anyone. But the case of Amy Anderson, which Zahir is
investigating, deeply echoes with her runaway issues and the dark memories she left behind. This time, she’s more than
ever determined to see this through till the end.

She will discover there’s a link between the 12 missing kids and a mysterious person called Nero. In order to
uncover the man behind the curtains, Sam will come up with a rather unusual and risky plan to deceive him into revealing
his true personality.

But you don’t get to outsmart Nero on his own terrain just like that. Nero has a certain ability to grasp the human
nature which enables him to format people’’s identity and make them believe, and do things, they would have never even
thought of before.

Sam’s on the brink of uncovering a dark hidden facet of her own identity. A side of her which may change forever
the course of her life. And the life of others.

Hummingbird © 2016
KYLE NOVAQ
Far away from Sam’s investigation, Kyle, a Cuban immigrant stroke by a strange illness, is facing his own ilife
threatening issues.
To his eyes, nothing is more important than family. So when his mother departs, leaving his only sister Mattie
alone, Kyle decides to move to the United States to take care of her.
Without papers and lucky enough to find a job in an unassuming advertising agency where his mother used to
work, Kyle’s hands soon become tied to society’s expectations. And while he works hard to pay the mortgage left behind
by his departed mother to support his sister, Kyle wastes too much time worrying about futile things and doesn’t notice
all the warning signs Mattie is leaving behind.
When his sister, the only family he has left, disappears without leaving a trace, Kyle’s world crumbles apart.
Retrieving Mattie in the midst of a gigantic religious and political mess won’t prove as difficult as trying to understand
why any reasonable person like his smart and brilliant sister would follow such a radical path.
Maybe there are things in life worth fighting for greater than family. But with a death sentence over his head, Kyle
might not live long enough to figure it out.

Hummingbird © 2016
MATHILDA ZAFAR A.K.A MATTIE
Kyle’s sister and only family left.
Never mind her complex, mixed, Latin and Oriental origins. Mattie is an American girl born and raised in the
USA. She’s smart, she’s strong, enthusiastic, and opinionated. But even more importantly, she’s an idealist and a
utopian. She more than anyone believes in the Hummingbird story Kyle's father told them when they were kids, and
that everyone should do their share to make this world a better place.
This has given her not only a sense of purpose but also a divine calling.
You just have to be careful when fighting humanity’s greed and selfishness to not turn your righteous will into a
radical purge. Even the finest of us can blur the line between right or wrong when brandishing a sword in the name of
God.
Mattie’s noble intentions will lead her, head over heels, into an archaic world of terror and conflict from which
she might never find a way out.

Hummingbird © 2016
ZÂHIR SAAB
Sam’s husband, a law enforcement detective, and the descendant of a muslim family. Zahir considers
himself to be an American above all and strives to exist by his own actions away from all labels appointed by
society.
He is strong, pragmatic with high deductive skills, and may look unbreakable on the outside, but his heart
aches for Sam and her constant instability throws him off in the pursuit of his goals.
When Sam starts digging in a case he was directly ordered to halt by the FBI, Zahir finds himself
spearheaded back into the reality of labels from which he has been trying to escape all his life. Torn apart by his
personal goals and ambitions to succeed in this society and the awful realization that there is a strong amalgam
made by this same society against the muslim community from which he comes from, Zahir will have to make a
choice, to stick to his ambitions or give up everything he fought for in order to stand for what he thinks is right.

Hummingbird © 2016
SIENNA O’MEARA
Sharp, smart-ass and witty, Sienna projects strength and confidence on the outside. Like a lion, she roars and
stands tall to defend what she thinks is right. But deep inside, she’s insecure and she’s tired of pretending, tired of trying
to fit in.
In her eyes, this society is amoral, sometimes even immoral, driven by greed to serve selfish purposes. Sienna
acknowledges she has been a part of it all her life. But at the same time, what can she do? She dreams of a life without
compromises and desperately wants to escape and run away, go as far as she can from all this and live a humble life in
a quiet place filled with nature, and hope for a more gratifying future.
In the meantime, she’s stuck with Kyle at the advertising agency selling people stuff they don’t even need. When
she finally finds the courage to stand for herself and break through the chains of society, Kyle interrupts her dreams and
moves her back from one whole to another, deeper and darker, leading towards a world of distress, fear and delusions.

Hummingbird © 2016
JIMMY WENDORF
A huge prick. Smart and witty. Extremely self confident, arrogant and pretentious. A quick
tongue type of guy used to getting away with his ambitions.
He’s the wealthy owner of a popular social media company used by most young
Americans. As such, he owns the profiles Sam is looking to get access to in her investigation,
and he’s using it as a leverage to get in bed with her.
A few months back, they had a brief flirt which turned into an adventure and his frozen
heart melted to reveal some actual feelings. But Sam’s instability turned this brief relationship
into a humiliating rejection for him.
He’s main problem is that you don’t get to play with high security profiles protected by
the FBI and forged by Nero without getting burned in the process, one way or another.
MRS. ANDERSEN
After her divorce, she had to raise her two daughters as a single parent and felt
confronted with the necessity to start looking for a new job and work extra hours to pay all the
bills and mortgage.
But despite being absent most of the time, her love for her daughters and her
commitment to their success in life is unconditional. She has given them everything she had to
offer and been there as much as possible to offer them emotional support through the difficult
times of adolescence.
She firmly believes her family has been able to remain strong and solid in spite of all the
obstacles and overwhelming factors of life. But despite all her good faith and willingness, she
was unable to see the signs of her own daughter Amy drifting away. Her sudden disappearance
will break Mrs. Anderson's heart, perpetually wondering …
What did I do wrong?

Hummingbird © 2016
TIFFANY
She’s Jenna’s best friend, but lately she’s been spending just as much time with
Mattie with whom she shares lots of points in common. They’re both idealistic, and she
loves listening to Mattie’s revolutionary discourses about life and all that is right and wrong
in our western culture.
But when Mattie deceitfully offers to go to Paris, Tiffany is about to fall from her little
cloud and find out the harsh truth behind Mattie’s devoted speeches.
JENNA
Mattie’s best friend. They’ve been up and down together and shared so much that
they know each other inside out. Or at least that’s what Jenna thought.
Despite all signs and warnings, never could Jenna have imagined in her wildest
nightmares what Mattie had been planing all this time.
What was supposed to be a girls hot trip to Paris is about to turn into a cold
frightening shower.

Hummingbird © 2016
STEPHAN
Kyle and Sienna’s boss. Ever since he took over his father’s advertising agency, the standing
lowered, and now the company can only afford small clients and usually not the good ones.
Sienna who worked with his father before, a great businessman, holds Stephan accountable
for ruining the image of the company and throwing her career down the toilet with it. She’s very explicit
about it and they argue constantly calling each other names out loud across the office. But Stephan
won’t fire her because deep inside he knows she’s right. He tries his best to run the company, but truth
is, he ain’t cut out for it.
All he truly wants is to live by the beach in Hawaï with a coconut water in one hand and a
beautiful exotic woman in the other. So he bosses around and counts his money down to the last
penny to prepare his early retirement.
When Kyle unknowingly brings Nero to the office his whole life is about to change.
PETE
Kyle and Sienna’s co-worker. Slightly slower than most, he’s not the smartest guy
you’ve come across, but he’s kind and faithful to his friends.
In the midst of all the mess that’s about to ravage the office, Pete is what some
politicians may call collateral damage. An innocent victim that had nothing to do with nothing.

Hummingbird © 2016
GRIG
Big, tall and menacing. Not the type of guy you’d like to mess around with. But despite his
rude manners and loud voice, he has a golden heart and doesn’t think twice when it comes to
helping people.
He lives across the street from Sam working in his garage as a mechanic, always covered
in grime and stained with greasy oil.
Every time Sam needs a hand with her troublesome car, a nice punch in the hood usually
gets it back running. The kind of trick you learn in Afghanistan when your army jeep is stuck in the
desert and there are no Pep Boys around to help you out.
When Sam finds herself in big trouble, Grig won’t hesitate to put his own life in danger to
shield her from any physical harm.
JESS
Sam’s neighbor and Grig’s adopted daughter.

She never met her parents but she’s grateful to Grig for taking her out of the streets and for
giving her a second chance in life despite his modest resources.
Nevertheless, old habits die hard. You may find her pole dancing in some gentlemen clubs
earning some extra money to go through her law studies.
When Sam finds herself in trouble Jess might be the only friend able to land her an ear and
provide some street smart advice.

Hummingbird © 2016
THE NEXT ONE
All over the world, from Asia, to Europe, to the United States of America, thousands of families who might have never heard of
radicalization other than the news, have seen their loved ones, out of nowhere, become fierce members of terrorist organizations like
ISIS. Feeling the guilt of not seeing it coming, recruited in their own homes, under their noses, the ones left behind still struggle, unable
to make any sense of these unforeseen radical decisions.
Anyone could be a recruit, without you even suspecting it.

Hummingbird © 2016


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Evan & Kaisar Productions

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

Another young girl has vanished in thin air.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

THE THIN RED LINE —

— THE WAR WITHIN.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

THE INCITING INCIDENT - or - Why we decided to tell this story.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

Our lineup of characters will constantly bring these conflicts up to mind.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

NERO So beware of him, for he can outsmart

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

AMY AND ELISABETH ANDERSON

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

MATHILDA ZAFAR A.K.A MATTIE

Kyle’s sister and only family left.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

What did I do wrong?

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

Sam’s neighbor and Grig’s adopted daughter.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

THE NEXT ONE

Anyone could be a recruit, without you even suspecting it.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

© 2016. All rights reserved to Evan & Kaisar Productions LLC.

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