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When Amy Andersen, 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. When Amy Andersen, 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.

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by Yohan Riba Martinez and Ricky Valentin

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by Yohan Riba Martinez and Ricky Valentin

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by Yohan Riba Martinez and Ricky Valentin

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.

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by Yohan Riba Martinez and Ricky Valentin

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 integrate the core of the nest, he will be asked to prove his loyalty to the cause

by losing touch with his own humanity.

Two parallel stories set in a dangerous collision course against a backdrop of ever shifting

motivations and alliances.

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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.

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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, adapting to the new

technologies. Finding its way into the homes and bedrooms of young men and women all over the world through Social

media. Perfecting they strategies and techniques to lure and seduce our children 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.

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THE INCITING INCIDENT

I grew up in France, believing in diversity and integration. At school I played with kids from different cultures, sharing all sorts of

beliefs. As an adult my friends were all coming from different backgrounds. It never occurred to me that I was supposed to erect walls

between me and others not looking or thinking like me. But, on November 13th, 2015 my 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 my mindset.

For the first time, my neighborhood, my city and my country were no longer a cradle for unity. And I could feel it all around me,

within the walls of my very 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 fellow citizens 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.

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SO WHY HUMMINGBIRD?

It all comes from a symbolic tale that used to bond Kyle and Mattie together.

We urge you to watch the first 5 minutes of the 1st episode 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.

“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

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— 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.

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NERO

Take a good look at this man, for he is

not who you think he is. He bears many names

and personalities, but none authentically

reveals his true nature.

On one hand, he ingeniously persuades

young American men and women to go self

implode in terrorist attacks all over the globe.

On the other hand, he publicly shows himself

as a devoted American muslim fighting against

the impact of ISIS and the awful propaganda

they make against the Islamic community as a

whole.

In between, you’ll see him wearing

several other confusing masks and all of his

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.

So beware of him, for he can outsmart

even the brightest of us all put together. He

knows how to find the weakness in your heart

and he always finds the right words to get you on

his side. He might even persuade you, the one

hiding behind the screen reading this paper and

watching this series, that what he does is

actually right.

And you’ll constantly be wondering, is he

a bad guy? Is he a good one? Is there even a

place in between when this many people all

around the world are getting killed because of

him?

Figuring out which side is he truly on and

what does he truly want, will be the keys to solve

the thick mystery behind this plot.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

GRIG

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.

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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.

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