Elephant herd documentary starts production phase

The Elephant Odyssey, a 90-minute documentary about a herd of wild Asian elephants in Yunnan province that captivated the world's attention in 2020, began production on Monday.

The movie is being shot with IMAX cameras and is scheduled for release across the IMAX network in 2024. It's jointly produced by IMAX Corp, Beach House Pictures and China Review Studio of China International Communications Group.

Since March 2020, a herd of 16 wild Asian elephants, which later increased to 17 when one pregnant elephant gave birth to a calf, departed from their habitat in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve and embarked on an extraordinary journey toward the north. Over the course of one and a half years, they trekked more than 1,000 kilometers before eventually returning home. Their epic journey, monitored by drones and streamed online, turned the elephants into internet celebrities.

"The 18-month journey of the elephants at the height of the pandemic was a hopeful antidote to the lockdowns many of us were enduring. We wanted to know more about these animals and why it happened," said John Turner, head of Documentaries for IMAX.

Donovan Chan, creative director of Beach House Pictures, expressed that the documentary will inspire individuals to take greater action in repairing and safeguarding humankind's fragile relationship with Mother Nature.

"Telling great stories has always been a core part of IMAX's DNA, and we're thrilled to bring this fascinating story from China to the world," said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of IMAX China.

The documentary is directed by award-winning filmmaker Alice Gu, known for The Donut King, with Clair Popkin serving as the director of photography.