37th cleveland international film festival :: April 3 - april 14, 2013
Film Festival Blog

Interviews

March 24th, 2011 @ 10:45pm

An Unforgettable Elephant

We've upped our Daily to six pages! But even with all of that extra room, not everything that we write can fit in it, and sometimes wonderful articles have to be truncated. That's one of the beauties of also having a blog, because we can post the full text here. This is a wonderful interview that Bridget Kriner did with Lisa Leeman, the director of the film One Lucky Elephant. If you've already read the part that's in the Daily, you'll love reading the full thing!


An Unforgettable Elephant
An Interview with Lisa Leeman, director of "One Lucky Elephant"
By Bridget Kriner


CIFF: What brought you to making this film?

LL: A friend of mine, film composer Miriam Cutler, has been the resident composer for Circus Flora almost from its inception. She watched Flora grow up over 13 years, and was fascinated by this elephant living in a human world. When she heard that David planned to retire Flora, and return her to Africa, Miriam knew the story would make a good film. She envisioned a deep, character driven film about this man and his elephant, and asked me to direct it. Initially, I declined, saying "I make films about people, not animals." Little did I know how much this film would be about people, and our relationship to animals, and what we do with, and to, them. Miriam called all the indie doc producers she knew, and at that point Cristina Collissimo and Jordana Franzheim came on board. They circled back to me, and convinced me to direct the shoot in St Louis of Flora's final performance weekend. That was in May, 2000!

Much later, we realized that Cristina had a personal connection to the story -- her father had founded the Miami Metro Zoo, where David had sent Flora for a few winters when she was young. Cristina's early experiences at the zoo - the animals and people she met there - brought a unique perspective to our team.

CIFF: You spent 10 years making this film. What kept you invested in the project for such a long time?

LL: During the weekend of Flora's final circus performance, David was busy planning how to get Flora back to Africa (by boat, a three-week trip, hard on an elephant) - or by plane? (dangerous if she were to get agitated). As he started firming up plans, he discovered disturbing information about continued poaching in Africa, even within protected herds and elephant-back safari camps. David decided to revisit all his options before committing to send Flora to Botswana. So the story we had pitched to funders disappeared! With no funding, and no imminent trip to Africa, we waited to see what would happen, and we all moved on to other projects.

Meanwhile, our producers Cristina Collissimo and Jordana Franzheim became involved in the search for Flora's new home and in raising money to support her. Raising money for the film took a backseat, but over the next 7 years, they were able to film several major milestones in Flora and David's journey (I don't want to give away the story, so can't tell you the milestones!). We wouldn't have a film without the footage they shot. In 2007, we decided to try to revive the film and find funding to finish it. We wrote a treatment, & edited a 17 minute sample tape. Our first pitch was to Sandbar Pictures, an LA production company. Based on those materials, and a New York Times Magazine cover story, 'Are We Driving Elephants Crazy?", Sandbar Pictures came in as partners to finish the film. We did a bunch of shooting in 2008 & 2009, and spent most of 2009 editing.

As to what kept me involved in the project for so long - the more I learned about David & Flora's unusual relationship, and the more I learned about elephants, the more the story resonated for me, and I got hooked, and had to keep exploring the themes of human & animal relations.


CIFF: Is there a difference between a Circus and a Zoo in terms of how animals are treated? Is it ever ethical to capture and train animals for any purpose?

LL: Great question. There are many opinions about this... Elephants in circuses are trained to perform tricks. Maybe some are benign, but some are harmful to elephants -- for example, elephants standing on their hind legs, front legs up, is a very unnatural position for an elephant, and can injure their legs. Behind the excitement of seeing an elephant up close is the sad story of how elephants are trained -- they are trained using human dominance, like how a wild horse is 'broken.' In Flora's case, the other big problem was that she was raised among humans, having little contact with other elephants. Elephants are herd animals, highly social, and live their entire lives in the wild with their extended female family - mothers, aunties, siblings and cousins. It's in their DNA to closely bond with those around them. Flora and David developed an extraordinary bond -- Flora met David when she was only two or three, and imprinted on David -- he became her mother and father, so to speak, and she became David's 'daughter.' I often describe the film as a father/daughter interspecies love story... But as Flora became an adolescent, she developed different needs, which no humans could satisfy. It was so poignant -- I saw David as trying to right a wrong he didn't even know he had committed initially. And by putting Flora into a situation that met her elephant needs, they couldn't be together all the time.

But I digress... Some zoos are more progressive than others, but there are lots of problems with keeping elephants in zoos -- they are often still handled by dominance methods, including using the notorious 'elephant hook,' which can be quite painful to elephants. Elephants need a lot of exercise -- in the wild; they may walk 30 miles a day, something zoos just can't provide. It's common for zoo elephants to develop foot problems from standing on hard surfaces without much exercise. Elephants are also highly intelligent, and need a lot of stimulation in their environment, which is hard for zoo's to provide. Progressive zookeepers will try to provide 'enrichment' but it's a poor substitute for the rich life elephants have in the wild. You can frequently see zoo elephants swaying from side to side, which is considered an unhealthy sign of boredom and perhaps frustration. Lastly, many zoos keep only one elephant, which is an extremely lonely and heartbreaking existence for an elephant. Even when a zoo has a few elephants, they are usually unrelated and don't necessarily get along. Willie Theison, the progressive elephant manager at the Pittsburgh Zoo, seen in our film, is breeding his elephants to create a more natural family -- they've got three adult females, four juveniles, and one male. So, at least those elephants are living in a family situation.

But ultimately, they are still living in confinement, on human terms. I knew nothing about elephants when I started this film, but I've grown to believe that we should not be taking animals out of the wild and placing them in captivity, period. Many zookeepers argue that animals in zoos are ambassadors for their species that we need to see them live and close up in order to feel related to them and to care about them in the wild. But at what expense to the animals living out a life of 30 or 40 or 50 years in captivity? I understand zoos bring a lot of joy to children, and can create empathy for wild animals, but these days we can see wild animals on television and in films in theaters, and so I'm growing to believe that zoos are an outdated institution.

Ultimately they're based on a paradigm of humans dominating animals -- we do the same thing to our planet, with increasingly dire results. (As I write this, several nuclear reactors in Japan are on fire and out of control!). I think we need to shift our way of thinking to live in cooperation and co-existence with animals, and the planet, and to stop thinking that animals are here simply to serve us humans.

By the way, 18 U.S. zoos have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits, including major urban zoos in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Anchorage, San Francisco and Philadelphia. These zoos have decided that they cannot provide for elephants' complex needs.

CIFF: It is my understanding that elephants are very complex and sensitive creatures. Did you develop a relationship with Flora or other elephants during the process of making this film?

LL: If anything, we all developed a deep respect and empathy for elephants in general. They are indeed highly intelligent and emotional creatures, and each elephant has its own distinct personality, just like humans. But they are also very selective about whom they allow into their inner circle. Relationships are built over long periods of time. It is not recommended for a stranger to approach an elephant - and so I didn't forge a bond with Flora other than the familiarity that occurred from a distance while filming over time. As the "One Lucky Elephant" team learned more about the effects of captivity on these sentient creatures, we came to understand that contact with humans should be limited to immediate caregivers and people who are a part of their life. We as humans project so much onto these animals - we have to learn to distinguish between who they are and who we think they are.

I can say that even from a distance, Flora has a very distinct personality, which you can see in the film (think super-smart kind-of-spoiled only child, with a sense of humor)

CIFF: What challenges did you face in making this film?

LL: It was a challenging story to tell -- we'd been following the story for ten years, plus we needed to cover most of Flora's life, tracing it back to the mid 80's, when she arrived in the US. There were other challenges, which I prefer to discuss after people have seen the film.

CIFF: The film has been very successful with festival audiences so far. What about this film do you think most resonates with them?

LL: I recently read a study with data that suggests we are biologically hardwired to desire a connection to other animals. Just seeing them causes chemical reactions in our brain, and so we pursue a connection with them.
One of the most amazing experiences is sitting in the audience during a screening. There are points in the film where - it's as if a light bulb goes on. Suddenly you can feel the energy in the room as people share this elephant's experience in a most personal way, causing them to question their own assumptions about animals. For those who already feel a great connection to all living creatures, this is powerful, but for those who haven't really thought about it, it's revolutionary. During Q & A's we've had people comment that after seeing "One Lucky Elephant," they will no longer take their children to a zoo or circus - not wanting to endorse the idea that wild animals are happy in captivity. The level of audience questions and discussion reflects a new awareness of just how much we project onto these animals, and how self-serving our relationships with them are.

CIFF: What is next for you? Are you working on any new projects?

LL: I'm co-directing a feature doc about the renowned swami, Paramahansa Yogananda.
It's an unconventional biography that really tells the story of eastern spirituality taking root in U.S., and asks the big questions about life... I also produced, with director Johanna Demetrakas, a feature doc called Crazy Wisdom, about the life and times of Chogyam Trungpa, an influential and controversial figure, who's often credited with planting Tibetan Buddhism in the West. It's just starting its festival run; I hope audiences here can see it! (www.crazywisdomthemovie.com)


CIFF: Is there anything else you think would interest CIFF audiences?

LL: We have a lot of great news to share - we'll be playing at the Film Forum theater in Manhattan in June, and we're thrilled to report that Oprah's new channel, OWN, will broadcast One Lucky Elephant this winter. Oprah announced at Sundance that she wants to do for docs what she's been able to do for books, and we're excited to be a part of the OWN family. For now, we're still screening at festivals far & wide, including in Greece, Moscow, Israel, & across the US. And we're incredibly honored that One Lucky Elephant has been selected to be a part of the American Documentary Showcase, a program curated by the U.S. State Department. We're one of 18 films this year that will be offered to U.S. embassies around the world for screenings abroad. It's a wonderful program that cultivates greater understanding among people around the world --the New York Times calls it "Documentary Diplomacy." (See their article.)

Independent films are challenging to distribute, so if audiences like "One Lucky Elephant," please spread the word! People can find updates on the film, and Flora, on our website www.oneluckyelephant.com and on our Facebook page.

CIFF: This year's theme is 'Be Part of the Story'. How do you see "One Lucky Elephant" fitting into that theme?
LL: What a great theme! One Lucky Elephant comes to Cleveland at an interesting time -- the Cleveland Zoo got a new African elephant this week, and their new $25 million dollar exhibit, "African Elephant Crossing," will open to the public in May. I don't know the record of the Cleveland Zoo, but the public can make sure that zoos and circuses know they're being held accountable for how they treat their animals. For those with an activist bent, organizations like The Humane Society of the United States and In Defense of Animals do good work in education and public policy. The two elephant sanctuaries in the U.S. always need support (www.elephants.com and www.pawsweb.org), and you can
can even sponsor a rescued orphaned baby elephant in Kenya, at www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org. And Carol Buckley is doing impressive work for elephants in Asia, which also needs support (www.carolbuckley.com)

At its heart, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT asks that we reconsider our relationship to all animals. We can all be a part of the story by relating to animals in a respectful and compassionate way, whether our pets, wild animals, or wild animals in captivity.
Working on One Lucky Elephant, I relate to animals in a new way (I even started treating my cat differently!)... And many audiences are saying the same thing after seeing the film. Consider treating animals as autonomous creatures who deserve the same happiness we desire. And consider seeing ourselves as part of a whole ecosystem, instead of the illusion of being separate and above it...


"One Lucky Elephant" plays on Friday, March 25 at 9:25a.m.; Saturday, March 26 at 1:50p.m. and Sunday, March 27 at 5:45 p.m. Screenings on both Saturday and Sunday will include a Q&A with director, Lisa Leeman.

*Also, "One Lucky Elephant" will be shown on Oprah's new channel later this year. The film has been selected by the U.S. State Department for the American Documentary Showcase.

Posted by Bridget Kriner