LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN

Synopsis
Filmed over several years through the mystical places of remote Cambodia, passing through the emblematic temples of Angkor Wat and the bustling capital Phnom Penh, The Last Elephant Men tells the story of an indigenous people united by destiny with the elephants, while their common way of life is threatened with extinction.

By following over time three members of the mythical Bunong ethnic group, near the Cambodia-Vietnam border, The Last Elephant Men recounts their fight to save the animal. Each of them embodies a dimension of the moving relationship between human and elephant: Mrey, the legendary elephant trapper, pursued by nightmares and a mysterious illness, must soothe the elephant's spirit before its final journey; Mané, a young human rights lawyer, wants to trace the elephant that once belonged to her family, while defending the ancestral rights of her people; and the adolescent Duol learns to be a mahout – elephant master – to support his parents and perpetuate the culture of his ancestors.

The elephant that once served to define the Bunong's identity may well represent the key to their own survival. How do we protect nature? How do we preserve the collective heritage? When biodiversity and cultural diversity are interconnected, what choices should we make to survive modernity? Against a backdrop of deforestation and environmental degradation in Cambodia, the story of a people confronted with universal challenges.


Honors

GEMEAUX PRIZE: Nominated for best documentary editing, winner for best documentary

CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS: Nominated for best editing, best film, winner for best picture

CINEMA FOR PEACE AWARDS: Green Oscar

New Delhi Social Documentary Festival on Asia: Prize for best editing and best film

Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival: Best Documentary Award

Hot Docs, Toronto

One World Film Festival, Prague

“Due to a slow pace and fluid editing, which evoke the gait of elephants and the suspended time of this corner of the world, this documentary with poetic accents adopts in places the appearance of a contemplative fiction film telling a timeless tale inspired by ancient legends.” THE DUTY