SYNOPSIS
Sanctum. The 3D epic underwater adventure Sanctum, from three-time Academy Award®-winning executive producer JAMES CAMERON (Avatar, Titanic), follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.
Master diver Frank McGuire (RICHARD ROXBURGH of Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible II) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa’ala caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s key team—including 17-year-old son Josh (RHYS WAKEFIELD of The Black Balloon, Broken Hill) and financier Carl Hurley (IOAN GRUFFUDD of Fantastic Four series, W.)—is forced to radically alter plans.
With dwindling supplies, the crew—including Carl’s girlfriend, Victoria (ALICE PARKINSON of Where the Wild Things Are, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Crazy George (DAN WYLLIE of Muriel’s Wedding, Chopper)—must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?
Shot on location off the Gold Coast in Queensland and in caves in South Australia, as well as at the Village Roadshow Studios, Sanctum employs stunning 3D photography techniques developed to lens Avatar. Designed to operate in extreme environments, the Cameron/Pace Fusion 3D Camera System used to lens the action-thriller will take audiences on a breathless journey across plunging cliffs and into the farthest reaches of our subterranean world.
ALISTER GRIERSON (Kokoda) directs the film written by JOHN GARVIN and ANDREW WIGHT and produced by Wight, who helped Cameron road test and hone his 3D technology on the documentaries Aliens of the Deep and Ghosts of the Abyss, which they co-produced.
Grierson is accompanied behind the scenes by a talented group of filmmakers that includes director of photography JULES O’LOUGHLIN (Kokoda, I Am You), production designer NICHOLAS MCCALLUM (Kokoda, The Black Balloon), editor MARK WARNER (The Water Horse, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and composer DAVID HIRSCHFELDER (Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Australia).
Joining Cameron as executive producers on the film are Wayfare principals BEN BROWNING (It’s Kind of a Funny Story), MICHAEL MAHER (Ondine) and PETER RAWLINSON (It’s Kind of a Funny Story), as well as Relativity’s RYAN KAVANAUGH (Little Fockers).
