Screenwriter Jeanne McKinney lives in California, while author Anne Bradshaw is a thousand miles away in Utah. Together they created a screenplay-by-email that beat competitors from 17 countries around the world for Sci-Fi/Fantasy entries in Hollywood's 13th Annual  International Family Film Festival.   

McKinney, a night owl, wrote through midnight, and early bird Bradshaw hit the keys at five in the morning. 

Jeanne McKinney and Anne Bradshaw. Photo courtesy of Pete Bradshaw.

"We did a ton of research into Ireland's history, which is fascinating with heroic legends and curious myths, swashbuckling and scary kingdom wars and foreign invasions that were oppressive, yet brought economic growth and trade to the remote northern island," Jeanne explained.

"After the fall of Rome, Ireland became a strong spiritual presence in Europe. Irish monks were largely responsible for the enlightenment of their day — bringing Christian scholarship to barbaric kingdoms. The monks spent painstaking hours creating magnificent illuminated scripture. It was difficult to protect these works of art, as they weren't appreciated by their attackers. I think we can relate with our own Latter-day Saint history."

The dates involved in this story are the internal kingdom wars of 375, the Viking invasions in 795, the British occupation in 1528 and the IRA troubles of 1968. 

"We wanted to create a fantasy/adventure using real and imagined spiritual mysteries, not magic, sorcery or witchcraft." Anne said. "We feel that as LDS writers, we have an important message for all faiths — for the benefit of mankind in general. What better way to send our message than through a great thought-provoking adventure on big screens all over the world?" 

Jeanne added, "The 60's were such an historical turning point — all about peace and love, not war. Ireland was a perfect setting with all its religious conflict that never seemed to end."

"Despite the wonders of technology that made it possible to write this screenplay by email, there are some drawbacks. One of these is not picking up on pronunciation," said Anne. "For example, ever since we decided on the name Ardanea, I assumed it was pronounced ArDAnea. It wasn't until the week before the Film Festival when speaking with Jeanne on the telephone, and hearing her say ArdaNEA that I realized we had a problem. I'd forgotten she manufactured the name from the ancient Irish Gaelic words — àird an nèamb , meaning point of the compass from Heaven itself — and I'd never heard them spoken. I had to make a mental switch and quickly relearn how to say the title."

The story revolves around college students Patrick (who is LDS), Kieran (a Catholic), and a young Irish lass named Ciara, whose genealogical history links the ancient Ardanea pendant to her own. They are all divinely “chosen'” to unleash the powers of the pendant in order to reform key people of the past, which creates a new Ireland for their return. 

The writers created the unseen powers of the pendant based on real and imagined concepts of spiritual mysteries. They feel the underlying message of "each one of us reaching out today can make a powerful collective difference in the future" applies to all faiths.