ASSATEAGUE ISLAND — Large portions of a new film about faith and peace set against the backdrop of epic warfare in the 13th century will be shot on the federal side of Assateague Island in mid-April.
The docudrama, which is very likely to air on PBS upon its completion, is seeking males ages 20-50 to be paid extras during the filming on Assateague Island, April 12-15.
The film, entitled the “Sultan and the Saint” is set in Egypt in the 1200’s during the 5th Crusade, and chronicles the unlikely relationship formed by St. Francis Assisi and Egyptian Sultan Malik Al Kamil.
“This film captures one of the greatest humanitarian acts in the history of our world,” said the film’s director Alex Kronemer. “The bond that these two men formed came at a time when Christians and Muslims were greatly divided and at war with one another, and because both of these groups are similarly at odds today, this moment in history could prove a vital teaching tool in the future.”
Assateague Island will be transformed, through elaborate set design, and color correction technologies in post-production, to look like the port city of Damietta, which was the largest entry point on the mouth of the Nile River. Filmmakers have also hired the concept artist from the hit comic film “Guardians of the Galaxy” to help design the look of the film when it is released.
“We had considered going overseas to shoot these very important re-enactment scenes for the film,” said Jeremy Morrison, one of the film’s Baltimore based producers. “We decided it was important for us to stay reasonably close to home so we started scouting locations and found that Assateague Island was exactly what we were looking for.”
Yet, booking a federally owned national seashore for a film shoot location was a bit trickier than if it were private land, but Morrison said park officials are extremely supportive of the project.
“They had concerns about the impact of filming to the natural resources and some of the wild animals who inhabit the island,” he said; “but we aren’t going to be filming epic battle scenes. Much of what will be filmed will be from the perspective of the two army camps and the strategizing that went on.”
Damietta was important during this moment in history because the Christian armies had planned to capture Cairo after conquering Muslim armies in the Seige of Damietta in 1219.
At the time, Christians viewed the Crusades as a holy venture, which was a complete reversal of the first 300 years of Christianity when disciples of Jesus Christ would not participate in any killing.
As a result of Christian crusaders turn to violent acts, the Sultan of Egypt, the aforementioned Al Kamil decreed that anyone who brought him the head of a Christian would be reward with a gold piece.
St. Francis Assisi, vehemently opposed to violence set out, unarmed and crossed the battle lines at Damietta during a lull in the fighting and was taken prisoner by Al Kamil’s men.
“Francis knew that he might be killed, but he did it anyway,” noted Kronemer. “The Sultan was taken by Francis’s commitment to his faith and his God, and he invited him to stay in the camp.”
Kronemer says the kinship formed by two men of differing backgrounds and religious beliefs not only saved thousands of lives, but it also shows one of the best and holiest interreligious encounters in recorded history.
“We know that the fundamentals of religion can be bad, as we have seen in Islamic terrorism,” said Kronemer, “but this story shows that they can be good and that Muslims and Christians can find common ground. … A film like this can bring people together. In my travels all over the globe, I realize that groups like Christians and Muslims, who are in many ways divided as they were in the time of this film, only see the worst of the other side in the headlines.”
The film’s producers say the extras that they are seeking for the four-day shoot will be cast as soldiers in the two armies, and they can expect full days of shooting in provided costumes appropriate to the time period.
Men of all ethnicities are needed, and interested parties are encourage to email a three-quarter to full length “selfie-style” photograph, (no professional headshots) to Pat Moran Casting Agency in Baltimore at [email protected] and include the age range of character you wish to portray, a resume, and contact number. The subject line of your email should read “A.I.”