Ink & the Wind

Three young people. A poem. A world to understand.

We are looking for a co-producer for the pilot.
Contact us to get the full bible and/or to discover the trailer.

The Series

An 11-year-old boy flees his burning city carrying only the first verses of a mysterious poem.
His quest to find the legendary traveller Ibn Battuta becomes an epic journey of discovery across the Golden Age of Islamic civilisation, from the Black Sea to the Spice Islands, through the libraries of Fez and Timbuktu, the deserts of Arabia, and the archipelagos of Southeast Asia.
Joined by a brilliant young scholar who trusts only books, and a griot's son who carries the memory of his people in his voice, he learns to read not only the poem, but the luminous Signs that appear in the sky, visible at first only to the viewer, and slowly, over three seasons, to him.Inspired by the narrative tradition of The Mysterious Cities of Gold, animated in the spirit of Studio Ghibli, Ink and the Wind brings to the screen a civilisation that is not lost, not buried, not waiting to be excavated. It is alive. It is vast. And it has never been told like this before.
The greatest treasure is not at the end of the road. It never was. It is the road itself, as well as the question you did not know you were carrying.Three young people. A poem. A world to understand.

3 seasons · 42 episodes · 22 minutes + 4-minute documentary segment per episode
Original languages: Standard Arabic and English
Target audience: families and young adults, ages 8 and up

Discover the Teaser Trailer (short version 1'50'')

Enjoy the Full Trailer (long version 3'39'')

Confidential content for professionals only.
Please do not share it.

The Journey

Season 1 — The Escape
From the Black Sea to TimbuktuWhen his city burns and his guardian is killed, Selim flees Trebizond with nothing but a fragment of a poem he has known since childhood — and a stranger named Al-Rashid who claims to know his godfather. Their road takes them through Constantinople, Aleppo, Damascus, Alexandria and Kairouan, across the deserts of the Maghreb to Tangier — only to discover that Ibn Battuta left long ago, heading south. In Fez, a brilliant young scholar named Zahra joins them. In the Sahel, a griot's son named Kofi saves their lives. In Timbuktu, they discover that the legendary city of gold holds something far more valuable than gold. The group of four makes a pact. The real quest begins.

Season 2 — The Quest
From the Nile to the Spice IslandsNavigating by stars, the group follows Ibn Battuta's traces eastward through the pharaonic landscapes of Aswan, the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina, the ruins of Baghdad, the grave of Omar Khayyam in Nishapur, the turquoise domes of Samarkand, and the spice markets of the Malabar coast. Fragments of the mysterious poem are collected along the way, in libraries, in oral recitations, in the margins of manuscripts. But Ibn Battuta always seems one step ahead. At the very edge of the known world, surrounded by volcanoes and silence, Selim makes a decision that changes everything.

Season 3 — Tawakkul
From the Spice Islands back to Tangier
Selim has exhausted every human logic. Now he follows the Signs. The group turns west, retracing its steps through Samudera Pasai, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. In Djerba, they share a Sabbath meal with a Jewish family. In the Atlas mountains, they receive the unconditional hospitality of an Amazigh village. In Fez, the last fragment of the poem is finally found. And in a quiet garden in Tangier, an old man is dictating his memoirs to a scribe. He looks up. He speaks a name. The journey ends. Another begins.

Artistic Signature

Ink and the Wind is animated in the tradition of Studio Ghibli: emotionally precise, visually rich, and grounded in the beauty of everyday life alongside epic adventure.
In addition to this style, the series carries a unique visual signature.First, luminous Arabic characters — the ayat, the Signs of Allah — appear throughout the sky, clouds, and waves. At first only the viewer sees them. Over three seasons, Selim learns to read them. When a Sign appears, the sound cuts to absolute silence for a few seconds: a dramaturgical choice that honours Islamic theological sensibility while creating one of the series' most powerful recurring moments.
Second, whenever a character recounts Ibn Battuta's passage through their city, the visual register shifts entirely into Persian miniature illumination, with flat perspective, gold leaf, ornate borders. A visual grammar for transmitted memory: what is lived versus what is told.The original score combines three instruments across three worlds. The oud, rooted in Arab-Andalusian tradition, carries the weight of knowledge and transmission. The kora, voice of the West African griot, carries warmth, memory, and the road. Last, the handpan carries the Signs, the sky, and what exceeds human understanding. Together, they create a sound that has never been heard before in animation.

Gallery

Join the journey

Ink and the Wind is currently seeking co-producers, broadcasters, and distribution partners.
If you are interested in joining this project, whether as a creative partner, a funding body, or a distribution platform, we would love to hear from you.If you want to get the full bible and watch the trailer (you will receive a private link), please fill up this form.Julien Jayed
Creator, Writer and Artistic Director

Thank you for sharing interest for Ink & The Wind.
Welcome to our universe.Julien Jayed, Creator