New York production company Picture Farm and Australian writer/director Kess Broekman-Dattner have partnered with Kenya-based research and conservation organization Save the Elephants to launch a new short film to inspire a deeper, more personal connection to wildlife preservation and its impact on humankind. Save the Elephants is a nonprofit whose mission is to secure a future for elephants and to sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live; to promote man’s delight in their intelligence and the diversity of their world; and to develop a tolerant relationship between the two species.
The video, produced by global production and post production company Picture Farm, uncovers the heart of the beauty and grandeur of nature that Save the Elephants strives to maintain, painted against the backdrop of some of New York City’s most iconic locations. The juxtaposition of two Samburu warriors from the heart of the African bush in Northern Kenya in their native attire against the bustle and coldness of a concrete jungle, crafted by director Kess Broekman-Dattner, creates a peaceful portrait of natural beauty dropped into an urbanized, human-constructed environment. A cinematic score by Ryan Teague provides a graceful and tranquil undertone to the impactful film. The film captures the two Samburu warriors, Benjamin Loloju (pictured right) from Save The Elephants and Letoiye Serenoy from Elephant Watch Camp in Samburu National Reserve on their first ever voyage outside of Kenya. Both warriors grew up in Samburu surrounded by elephants and now use their expertise and knowledge to protect them.
When Melbourne-born Broekman-Dattner first came to New York, he was immediately struck by the lack of connection to nature amidst the dynamic energy and history of the city. With this film, he casts the Save the Elephants ambassadors as messengers of nature, bringing their serene spirits to the big city to reconnect those who have perhaps lost touch with natural world’s unparalleled grace and abundance.
“When I met with the individuals from Save the Elephants, I was struck by their gentle, gracious and loving sensibility and really wanted that to come through in the film,” notes Broekman-Dattner. “I hope that those who have been caught up in the human side of the city will be reminded of the importance of a true connection to nature.”
Save The Elephants’ CEO Frank Pope says, “Picture Farm and Kess have created a beautiful moving film that captures the complexity of the relationship between the natural world and the cities that most people live in. Life in the African bush could never prepare these warriors for NY but they embraced the city and hopefully passed on a little of their spirit. We hope people around the world, New Yorkers in particular, will be moved by the film and embrace the natural world.”
The piece is created in hopes of reminding audiences, whether in urban or rural environments, to appreciate nature and help preserve and retain its ecological splendor.
About Picture Farm
Picture Farm is a global production, events and post production company bringing a cultivated sensibility and a creative culture to brand storytelling. With offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Barcelona and Madrid, the team’s collaborative talents combine technical expertise and artistic vision to deliver beautiful brand assets along the spectrum of deliverables from video, to photography, to social media.
About Kess BD
Kess is an award-winning writer/director and content creator form Melbourne, Australia. His love for the lyrical and magical informs an extensive background in content creation and narrative-based music videos, taking audiences out of their daily lives with resonant storytelling, bold visuals and endearingly human performances. Raised in the Australian countryside amid nature, artists and story tellers, he now lives in Brooklyn with his girlfriend and two of the world’s most vocal cats.
About Save the Elephants
Save the Elephants works to secure a future for elephants in Africa. Specializing in elephant research, STE provides scientific insights into elephant behaviour, intelligence, and long-distance movements and applies them to the challenges of elephants survival. Through our thriving education and outreach programmes, we reach out to hearts and minds, making local people the true custodians of their own rich heritage. Our human-elephant conflict mitigation projects, especially beehive fences, have reduced the number of crop-raiding incidents, and provide farmers with elephant-friendly alternative sources of income. To battle the current surge in ivory poaching, our Elephant Crisis Fund is identifying and supporting the most effective partners in Africa and in the ivory consuming nations to stop poaching, thwart traffickers and end demand for ivory.
