Film about cyrus the great

[Ardavan]

A group of wealthy investors is planning the most expensive independent film made in Britain. The backers hope not only to cash in on the fashion for "sword and sandal" epics but also to take advantage of generous tax breaks available to film-makers in this country.

The 50 million film, Cyrus, is being financed by a new London-based company called Chayaha, which is co-owned by Marinah Embiricos, a relative of the Aga Khan and a member of the Greek shipping family that controls the Embiricos Group.

But it appears to have grander aspirations than most epics: its backers also hope that it will spread very un-Hollywood messages around the world about goodwill and peace.

The screenplay is based on the extraordinary life of Cyrus the Great, who lived from 580-529 BC and founded the first Achaemenian empire in Persia.

He was a notable warrior but his fame rests upon his decisions to free all slaves in the empire, to tolerate all religions, to allow exiled Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem and to order his governors to treat the people as if they were their children.

A decree of his enlightened views was inscribed on a clay cylinder, now in the British Museum, that has been described as the first declaration of human rights.

Ms Embiricos, who is British-educated and known for her work with environmental charities, said in Malaysia this week that she wanted the film to promote harmony across all the world's religions.

"We wanted to send out the message that people should be tolerant of each other's religion. It was a very spiritual time and we want to rekindle this. It is not that I want to make movies - I want to make this particular film."

One of her partners in Chayaha - the Indonesian word for "light" - is Nicola Savoretti, a luxury goods and IT entrepreneur who is a consultant to the Rothschild Bank in Geneva and has set up a telecoms company in Russia.

The 50 million budget for the film is huge by British standards, and Ezna Sands, the project's British screenwriter, said this week that the film would "have the scope of Lawrence of Arabia".

No star roles have been cast but Sean Connery is being courted to play Cyrus and Angelina Jolie to be his empress.

Chayaha had hoped to begin filming next month but it is understood that despite the A-class list of investors, only around 80 per cent of the finance is in place.

Two studios in Hollywood, where the success of Russell Crowe's Gladiator is inspiring a new generation of big-budget ancient history films such as Troy and Alexander the Great - are believed to be in discussions with Chayaha to top up the budget in exchange for United States rights. The producers now hope to shoot in Tunisia, or possibly Pakistan, next year. The film has been developed by the young and relatively inexperienced British director Alex Jovy, who has made television commercials and a low-budget British feature - a clubland thriller called Sorted.

Despite the strong international elements, Jovy says he is confident that Cyrus will be classed as a British film. This would qualify it for tax breaks, including the chance to write off production costs.

The formula to classify a film as British is complicated. But among the requirements are that a British company must be set up, that 20-30 per cent of the budget must be spent on British "elements", and that 75 per cent of the payroll must go to British, European or Commonwealth nationals.