Project Ommi

Project Ommi is set in Bangladesh, 20 years into the future. The plot of the film revolves around a hacker named Ravi, who is running away from an unknown threat. He seeks refuge in an abandoned ship. He sets up a computer there, and starts to program an Artificial Intelligence (AI). He can only make the AI's mind, not the body, so he takes help from a graphic artist called Samira, who can paint in 3D and design the body for the AI. Together, they make an AI called Ommi. Ravi and Samira take on Ommi like it is their child. But the true purpose for Ommi is kept hidden. Ravi wants to give the program to a client for some unknown reason. But as the story progresses, it is revealed that the client wants to send Ommi into the 'Darknet' to catch child predators and traffickers. But, the dilemma comes when they are to send the program into the 'Darknet'. Even though it is nothing but a program, they treated it like their child. And can they really send their child into a place as despicable as the 'Darknet'? Time is running out as an anti-tech group is chasing them.

 This film doesn't have a very conventional process of funding. In Bangladesh, there are not many production houses, and due to this different types of films cannot be made. Therefore the director Amit Ashraf went to the Berlin Film Festival and pitched the idea for the film to various producers. Around ten producers were into the film, and finally Jenny Walker, a producer from the UK decided to produce the film. She made an investment in the film, which made this one of the only Bangladeshi films to have a foreign investment. But that was not  enough to complete the project. Amit and his team are now reaching out to the great community for support through a Kickstarter page, so that fans can help out the project, and get gifts like early movie copies, graphic novels, T-shirts, augmented reality apps and props.  Various different types of fundraising have been at play to make this film possible. Amit believes by reaching out to the people he can bring something new to the market. But it will take help from everyone.

The main shooting for the film will begin in January. A futuristic set has been made, with things like virtual reality cafes. It has a style similar to that of films like Blade Runner or the original Ghost in the Shell. Those concepts have been repurposed in a way that it fits Bangladesh in the future. In the trailer, it shows more of a grungy aesthetic, but that is just a part of that town. The futuristic parts of the town haven't been shown yet.

The film stars new actors Shaan Rahman and Istela Imam. Child actor Kayaan Hossain plays the part of Ommi. The cast also includes Sadika Swarna, Toufikul Emon, Arijit Dutta, Nafisa Jarin Moumi. The filmmaker is also holding talks with some international film stars, who may appear in the film. Hollywood composer Jacob Yoffee is behind producing the music for the film. A main part of the film, the CGI is being made by the top CGI teams of Bangladesh. But some of the CGI parts of the film will be done in London.

To see the trailer, pre-order a copy or support: www.ommimovie.com

Kickstarter link: http://bit.ly/ProjectOmmi