Interview with Screenwriter Eylem Sayman (THE SEVEN CIRCLES)

Matthew Toffolo: What is your screenplay about?

Eylem Sayman: It’s telling the story of Gongardium people who are used to be a part of Stone Council but currently in the war among tribes. Tristan the chosen one, try to change the course of the growing civil war among the tribes and reunite the Stone Council whose energy is exhausted by the broken oath.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Fantasy & Action

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

Although “the chosen one” stories are the most common concepts which are using in the films, I think even in the real world people need a savior in their lives and therefore they connect with such characters easily when they saw them in the screen. And in my story, there are two races; humans and G’landers (Gongardium) who are living in the divided planet, so my aim to show audiences the value of life, the results of the war and unity. I believe audiences will enjoy watching this type of story if it become a film, which will be a bridge between them and characters.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Unity and struggle.

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

I like sci-fi and fantasy movies but my favorites are Back to the Future and LOTR trilogy.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

I decided to write it as a fantasy novel first about 7 years ago but then I turned it to the script and have worked on it in 1 year total.

7. How many stories have you written?

I have 6 scripts, four of them in English, two of them in Turkish and I am currently working on the 7th one.

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

I have many favorite classic rock songs that I like to listen. But beyond all these, “Frank Sinatra – My Way” is indispensable for me.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

I can honestly say that time is the only thing that I struggle with. Developing environment, discovering characters and imagining the whole story need time and patience to built up the script.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Photography. I love taking photos of street and building which have their own stories. So, I can catch new stories and characters and create a new world that I imagined for my story while I am taking photographs.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?

I have been using FilmFreeway site to get involved to lots of film festivals or script competitions since 2016.

12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

While I was entering the festival, I saw it as a great opportunity. Because whatever the result that I got at the end, is fantastic to be involved such a marvelous festival and to be performed your scripts by professionals is also good point, so you can see how your script looks like. It’s a great feedback.

Watch the Screenplay Reading: 

After the “Big Star Explosion”, Human race and Gongardium people who are living in the same planet, have reached a compromise, seeing the war consumed the planet and split it into two separate part by making a border agreement. The seven clan leader of Gongardium, gathered together to preserve the grand union and to avoid possible internal conflicts, setting up the “Stone Council”. One of the members of the Stone Council; Fire Guardians, Death Rippers and Dream Travelers who are greedy for eternal power and unhappy with the agreement made with the human race, have built a stone arch called “Seramentus”, making a secret alliance. Their aim was to consume the life energy of other tribes and gathering in their kingdoms to reach eternal power by the way of this stone arch. Tristan the chosen one, who is born with hope in an unpredictable moment, will do a great job to change the course of the growing civil war among the tribes and reunite the Stone Council, whose energy is exhausted by the broken oath.

CAST LIST:

Whippet – 2 – Jolly Amaoko
Lynora – 1 – Stephanie Herrera
NARRATION – Bree Ali
Griyan – 9 – Brian Carleton
Calcidius – 5 – Russell Batcher

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