Directed by James Morgan

Cast:

Kiara Holley-Paliano – Mary Anning (Character)
Nathaniel Parker – Mr. Fairfax (Character)
Harvey Dean – Joseph Anning (Character)
Michael Howe – Mr. Henley (Character)
Simon Alison – Mr Devereux (Character)
Primrose Bigwood – Lady Cheshire (Character)
Nigel Burge – Lord Salisbury (Character)
T.A. Darrant – Beach Worker (Character)
Charley Davies – Maid (as Charlotte Davies) (Character)
Liam Harkins – Footman (Character)
Mark Livesey – Footman (Character)
Edward Murphy – Sir Humphrey (Character)
Mark Rose – Beach Worker (Character)
Julie Shine – Lady Dorset (Character)

Produced by
Terhi Kylliainen – producer
Andrea Land – co-producer

Review of The ‘Sea Dragon’ Short Film

Sea Dragon is a British short film set in 1812 along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, England. It’s about a twelve year old fossil hunter named Mary Anning, who finds what she knows to be a very unique, mysterious fossil indeed. Something so special and challenging to the views of 19th Century England that she immediately finds herself in an ideological battle with a rather nasty and devious auctioneer, who insists that the fossil skull is that of an ordinary crocodile.

Mary knows that he is wrong, and sets out on a mission with her brother, Joseph to recover the specimen from a large manor house. What’s so wonderful about this really beautifully shot film is that it not only entertains the audience with a tight script and active pace but also touches on some really universal and vital themes for humanity. Themes like how one person can create change in a seemingly fixed society, and how small voices should always be heard. And how women’s roles in science were traditionally ignored for a long time.

Young Mary is strong willed and has incredible self conviction. She summons the courage to challenge the conventional views of the time, refusing to accept the official doctrine and instead forcing others to see the evidence before their very eyes.

While the short film is a somewhat fictionalised account, Mary Anning was in fact a real person. She was a palaeontologist who was largely discredited by the wider scientific community during most of her lifetime. Mary Anning contributed greatly to the world with her discoveries and challenged the established beliefs at the time. Her work during the 19th Century helped to shape scientific understanding of prehistoric life.

This is a really well-made, entertaining, and illuminating ‘natural history heist’ film that could easily be imagined as a feature, in fact you may find yourself wishing it were longer.

Director, James Morgan is an award-winning director of film and television who is currently developing a feature film – Rare Earth – about an expedition in search of the last polar bear. His documentary, JAGO: A Life Underwater is streaming on Netflix.