When Elephants Were Young

This documentary by local director Patricia Sims, narrated by William Shatner, explores peoples' relationship with elephants in Thailand. Sims' camera follows Wok, a mahout (elephant guardian) and his elephant Nong Mai as they perform for tourists on the streets of Bangkok. Nong Mai has been in the family for a decade and the opportunity arises to release her into the wild, but the question becomes: can you afford to release your elephant when your family relies on it? With intimate footage of Wok and Nong Mai, this eye-opening story relates the efforts to save the Asian elephant population and establish self-sustaining populations.