Egregora

Today we're going to talk about an upcoming three-part mystery and adventure TV series called Egregora, from Romanian director Andrei Chiriac. The film begins as nine children with a passion for history and archaeology come across the secret archives of an order called The Dragons, in which coded references are made to the hidden treasure of the Dacians, which are the ancestors of the Romanian people. Director Andrei Chiriac says the film is a combination of mystery, history and myth:

"I first thought about making this film 13 years ago, when I went with a friend to visit Sarmisegetuza, the capital of the Dacians. That's when I heard all kinds of stories from the locals about the treasures of the Dacians and about ancient myths and I thought about doing a documentary film about these legends, but ended up doing a TV series. I signed a sponsorship contract with an advertising firm two years ago and got some funding, not a lot, which I used to film the historical part for the first season. This is set at the time of Vlad the Impaler, and also deals with the scheming that went on at the court of Vlad Dracul, his father, and with Vlad's relationship with ruler Radu the Handsome, and some other elements of historical background that help us understand the story of the nine children who, in 2020, find the diary of Vlad the Impaler and some of the secret archive of the Order of the Dragons, the order responsible for the ruler's protection. The diary refers in allegorical terms to this fabulous treasure of the Dacians and the secrets the latter are believed to have inherited from the Atlants, the inhabitants of the Citadel of Atlantis. So, this is the starting point for our journey."

This secret treasure of the Dacians is not so much material, but spiritual, and consists of the secrets hidden here, says film director Andrei Chiriac:

"We will be filming at some of the most beautiful locations across Romania. The whole of Romania is very beautiful, so we'll have plenty to choose from. So far, we've done some shooting in the Danube Gorges, the Ponicova cave, Veterani cave and a mountain peak in the area, in the Lotrului mountains, as well as in the Bucegi mountains, in the Obârşiei valley, on the Transfăgărăşan road, in Sarmisegetuza, and in tourist attractions which are less-known by the public, such as Bolii cave and Şura Mare cave. Many people who have seen the footage filmed so far have in fact asked me if we've filmed in Romania. Someone told me, for example, that the images filmed in Bolii cave look like they have been filmed in Jordan. These are truly sensational places which few people know about and which we're going to show in the film. We'll be filming everywhere, in Romania's most important citadels, in fortified churches, in Moldavia, in the Ceahlău mountains, in the Retezat and in the Măcinului mountains, in Dobruja. We'll also be filming in southern Romania, in the cave of St Andrew, and travel from Satu Mare to Constanţa and Sighişoara. All of it will be in the film."

Egregora has already invited comparisons with Game of Thrones and The Da Vinci Code. The director Andrei Chiriac hopes his film will improve Romania's image internationally. We asked him to send a message to our listeners from abroad:

"I think this series will be a nice surprise for them and I'm sure that if they ever visit Romania, perhaps to see something unusual, perhaps thinking of Romania as the land of Dracula the vampire, they will go back feeling happy. And maybe they'll decide to stay here, which wouldn't be unusual as there are many people from abroad who came here and then fell in love with Romania and ended up staying. They realised it's a piece of heaven where it's really worth living!"

After 20 years of living in the United States, Andrei Chiriac says Romania has a special vibe and that people from abroad who visit the country can feel this vibe. His series Egregora is meant as a tribute to Romanian culture, with a focus on the Dacian heritage and the time of Vlad the Impaler. The treasure found at the end of the series is the Dacian treasure consisting of the extraordinary spiritual wealth of this region. Andrei Chiriac:

"Thank you for supporting Egregora and I can't wait for it to be ready and to come before the public with a beautiful product that will dare you to find the material and spiritual treasure that probably lies in each and every one of us."

If funding is provided, Egregora can be ready in one year a half.