The bond between a baby elephant and its mother is one of the closest on earth, a bond encapsulated in a young male as he receives a life changing phone call on his way home.

Director’s Vision for ‘The Sudden Death of an Elephant’

When I set out to make this film, my goal was to explore a simple but powerful narrative, while placing most of the emotional weight in the hands of the audience. I felt the best way to get the viewer to experience a deep connection with the subject matter, was to shoot the piece in a single take. This meant that as the central character felt happiness, confusion, or shock in real time, so too did the audience. I intentionally left the pivotal moment of grief ambiguous, to allow each individual viewer a chance to apply their own experiences in interpreting the narrative. The technical challenge of shooting a 6 minute take, across an entire suburb, involving vehicles and actors, was tremendous fun and forced us to make some great creative decisions. The film was shot in NSW in Dharawal country.