Posts Tagged ‘documentary’
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
This is a re-posting from the AVAAZ.org website:
Photo Credit: Avaaz.org, courtesy of Born Free Foundation
Save the Elephants: STOP BLOODY IVORY
This week, two countries are seeking to break the worldwide ban on ivory trading — a decision that could wipe out whole elephant populations and bring these magnificent animals closer to extinction.
But many African states and conservationists support extending the ban on elephant-slaughtering ivory trade. The decision will be made at a UN meeting in Doha starting on 13 March, and global public opinion could tip the balance!
Sign the petition now using the form below, then spread the word — let’s deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures to the UN convention before it’s too late:
To the 175 parties of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species [CITIES]:
As citizens from around the world, we call on you to reject any exemptions in the global ban on the ivory trade, to extend that ban for at least 20 years, and to take all necessary steps to enforce that ban and protect the elephants.
Protect the elephants!
CITIES votes on March 13, 2010, so please take a minute to sign the petition now. The web page includes links to share on Facebook and email your friends, making it easy for you to help spread the word.
Thanks!
-Windy Borman
Director, Producer & Writer, The Eyes of Thailand
Tags: animal welfare, CITES, D.V.A. Productions, documentary, elephants, endangered, ivory, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
In preparation for Thailand’s National Elephant Day on March 13, the Prostheses Foundation began molding a new prosthetic leg for elephant landmine survivor, Motala.
Staff from the Prostheses Foundation prepare to take a mold of Motala's amputated leg.
Motala stepped on a landmine on August 15, 1999. She received her first prosthetic limb 10 years later, on August 16, 2009, a historic event we filmed for The Eyes of Thailand documentary film.
Elephant landmine survivor, Motala, waits patiently as the Prostheses Foundation staff make a mold of her amputated leg in order to build her a new prosthetic limb.
After a brief set-back, she slowly began to put more and more weight on the prosthetic limb as she learned to walk with it. On December 25, 2009, she received a new foot pad for the prosthesis, and on March 10, 2010 the Prostheses Foundation began to build her a new prosthetic limb, which they will present to her on March 13, 2010 at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital outside of Lampang, Thailand.
After filling the mold with plaster and letting it set, the Prostheses Foundation begins to smooth and sand the mold so that it matches Motala's measurements. They will use this mold to create a cushioned liner and the prosthesis.
We will post more pictures as we receive them from Soriada Salwala, the Founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital and featured in the elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Director, Producer and Writer, The Eyes of Thailand
Tags: animal abuse, animal rights, animal welfare, asian elephant, asian elephant hospital, D.V.A. Productions, documentary, elephants, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Motala, Prostheses Foundation, prosthesis, prosthetic, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
On February 26, 2010, Soraida Salwala, Founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital and featured in the elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand, wrote to share:
Motala and Mosha are the same. Mosha is not happy since she could not wear the prosthetic leg last week. We are looking forward to the new ones being made on The National Elephant Day (13 March).
We look forward to sharing the new pictures of Mosha and Motala, two elephant landmine survivors also featured in The Eyes of Thailand, walking on their new prostheses next week. Please check back after March 13, 2010.
-Windy Borman
Director, Producer and Writer, The Eyes of Thailand
Tags: animal abuse, animal welfare, asian elephant, asian elephant hospital, D.V.A. Productions, documentary, elephants, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Mosha, Motala, prosthesis, prosthetic, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from Soraida and FAE, Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
In addition to building prosthetic limbs for elephants (like Mosha and Motala) that step on landmines, the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital also treats elephants for everything from illness to injuries.
On February 15, 2010, Soraida Salwala, Founder of the FAE Elephant Hospital and featured in the elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand, announced the successful birth of a new baby elephant:
A new baby was born at Mae Ping Camp in Chiang Mai last night. The baby weighs only 30 k.m. (same as Tiny). Dr. Preecha reached Pung Noi and her baby before noon. Preparation to transport both the mother and her male baby is being carefully carried out.
On February 16, 2010, Pung Kamnoi and her healthy baby boy arrived at FAE:
Dr. Preecha says the baby looks good. We have the soy milk ready in case his mother is not ready to feed him.
The first photos of the happy mother and baby appear below.
Kamnoi arrives at FAE by truck.
The staff at FAE encourage the wobbly newborn elephant to walk off the truck.
Kamnoi and her healthy baby boy.
Kamnoi and Baby Boy.
We are happy to see Kamnoi and her baby bonding and will share more news and photos as we get them. Please stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Producer, Director and Writer, The Eyes of Thailand
P.S. The Eyes of Thailand is currently fundraising to edit and distribute the film so we can tell the world about the plight of the Asian Elephants and share the great work that Soraida and her staff do at FAE. To make a tax-deductible donation to the film, please visit our website and click “Donate Now“. It will take you to the secure online donation page for our fiscal sponsor, The San Francisco Film Society. Thank you!
Tags: animal welfare, asian elephant, asian elephant hospital, Chiang Mai, documentary, Dr. Preecha, elephants, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, Kamnoi, landmine, Mosha, Motala, San Francisco Film Society, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from Soraida and FAE, Notes from the Director | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Motala and Baby Mosha each received their new prostheses from the Prostheses Foundation. Both Asian Elephants are survivors of landmine accidents and star in the feature-length elephant conservation documentary, The Eyes of Thailand.
Motala stepped on a landmine on August 15, 1999. She received her first prosthetic limb 10 years later, on August 16, 2009. After a brief set-back, she slowly began to put more and more weight on the prosthetic limb as she learned to walk with it. On December 25, 2009, she received a new foot pad for the prosthesis.
The Prostheses Foundation gave Motala's prosthesis a new foot pad.
Mosha stepped on a landmine in June 2006. Because she was younger (only 7 months old), her wounds healed faster and the Prostheses Foundation built a prototype for a prosthetic elephant’s leg for her in June 2008. This is Mosha’s fourth prosthesis and she will need more throughout her lifetime as she continues to grow.
Mosha's new prosthesis, January 2, 2010.
The Prostheses Foundation checked on Mosha’s and Motala’s prostheses on December 22, 2009. Soraida Salwala, founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital outside of Lampang, Thailand, expected them to receive their new prostheses on January 2, 2010.
Happy Holidays!
-Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand
P.S. The Eyes of Thailand is currently accepting donations to edit and distribute the film in 2010. You can make a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here. Thank you for your support!
Tags: animal welfare, asian elephant, asian elephant hospital, D.V.A. Productions, documentary, elephants, endangered, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Mosha, Motala, Prostheses Foundation, prosthetic, San Francisco Film Society, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Monday, December 28th, 2009
Mosha (which means Star in the Karin language) is a 3-year old Asian Elephant at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital.
When she was 7-months old, Mosha stepped on a landmine along the Thai-Burma border. Her owner donated her to FAE, where Soraida Salwala and her staff could rehabilitate and care for her.
Image provided by Jody's Jungle
When we first met Mosha in 2007, she was a curious 2-year old, who wobbled on three legs.
Image provided by Jody's Jungle
When we returned in August 2009, Producer/Director Windy Borman filmed Mosha receiving a prosthetic limb from the Prostheses Foundation for the documentary, The Eyes of Thailand.
Mosha and Windy reunite in August 2009.
On December 22, 2009, the Prostheses Foundation visited Mosha and made a mold of her leg to create her fourth prosthesis, which they will present to her on January 2, 2010 as a New Year present.
Prostheses Foundation staff take a mold of Mosha's leg.
As a permanent resident of FAE, Mosha will continue to receive prosthetic limbs throughout her lifetime, which can be as long as 60-80 years.
-Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand
P.S. The Eyes of Thailand is currently accepting donations to edit and distribute the film in 2010. You can make a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here. Thank you for your support!
Tags: animal welfare, asian elephant hospital, documentary, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Mosha, Prostheses Foundation, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
December 22, 2009– Baby Mosha, a 3-year old Asian Elephant who stepped on a landmine when she was 7-months old, will receive a new prosthetic limb from the Prostheses Foundation at FAE’s Elephant Hospital on January 2, 2010.
Prostheses Foundation measures Mosha's leg before creating the mold.
On August 15, 2009, I filmed her receiving a prosthesis for The Eyes of Thailand documentary film, featuring Soraida Salwala and the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital in Lampang, Thailand.
Mosha has grown so much since August that the Prostheses Foundation returned today to make a mold of Mosha’s leg in order to build a new prosthesis, which they will present to her as a New Year present.
As a permanent resident of FAE, Mosha will continue to receive prosthetic limbs throughout her lifetime, which can be as long as 60-80 years.
The Prostheses Foundation unpacks the new prosthesis foot pad for Motala.
While the Prostheses Foundation was at the Elephant Hospital, they checked on Motala and will change her prosthesis’ foot pad on January 2, 2009, also.
-Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand
P.S. The Eyes of Thailand is currently accepting donations to edit and distribute the film in 2010. You can make a tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, by clicking here.
Tags: animal welfare, asian elephant, asian elephant hospital, documentary, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Mosha, Motala, Prostheses Foundation, Soraida Salwala, Thailand, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle covered The Eyes of Thailand Work-in-Progress Clip premiere on October 21, 2009. Here is an excerpt:
Having shot movies on four continents, San Francisco filmmaker Windy Borman had seen it all - until she came across the world’s first elephant hospital in Thailand two years ago, where the enormous patients were being treated for everything from eye infections to gunshot wounds. In July, when she heard that some elephants at the hospital, victims of exploding land mines, were getting new legs, Borman raised some quick cash, jumped on a plane and finished shooting “The Eyes of Thailand,” a documentary about the hospital, to be released next year. We caught a clip of the film last week at a post-production fundraiser in North Beach. Trust us: You haven’t seen anything until you’ve watched an Asian elephant in the forest take its first steps on a prosthetic leg. Jaws hit the floor.
To read the rest of the article, add your comments and forward the link, please click here.
Thank you to everyone who came to the post-production fundraiser for The Eyes of Thailand on Oct 21, 2009! The documentary is timely, poignant, heartfelt and needs to be distributed in 2010 to tell the world about the plight of endangered Asian Elephants.
To make an online tax-deductible donation through the film’s fiscal sponsor, The San Francisco Film Society, please visit http://www.eyesofthailand.com and click “Donate Now”.
We are seeking post-production funds to edit and distribute The Eyes of Thailand in 2010. For more information, contact Producer/Director Windy Borman at: info@eyesofthailand.com
Thank you!
Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand
Tags: animal abuse, animal rights, animal welfare, asian elephant hospital, documentary, endangered, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Mosha, Motala, prosthetic, San Francisco Film Society, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Thai TV news features Motala, an elephant landmine survivor at the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand, walking and putting a significant amount of her body weight onto her new prosthetic limb.
Motala puts weight on her prosthesis, as shown on Thai TV news.
This is a wonderful sign after a few issues with her previous prostheses: one crumpled as she tried to stand up, and the “ankle joint” of another fell off while she walked. It appears the Prostheses Foundation has made the necessary adjustments and Motala is trusting the device to hold her as she walks.
If you’d like to witness Motala’s first steps, please join me for the premiere of the new work-in-progress clip of The Eyes of Thailand on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. For details, click here.
Please note that the production phase of the film is complete and we’re actively raising the “finishing funds” to edit and distribute the documentary in 2010. All donations made at the event, or online through our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society, are tax-deductible.
If you cannot attend the event—or wish to make a tax-deductible donation ahead of time—please visit The Eyes of Thailand web page and Click the “Donate Now” link. It will connect you to the secure online donation page for the SFFS.
You can also follow our progress on Facebook, Indiegogo and Twitter.
Thank you for all your continued support and I hope to see you there!
Best,
Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand
P.S. For those of you outside the San Francisco Bay Area, I will post the new clip on Vimeo for 24 Hours and release the password after the October 21st event. Please stay tuned!
Tags: animal welfare, asian elephant, asian elephant hospital, documentary, elephants, Eyes of Thailand, Friends of the Asian Elephants, landmine, Motala, Prostheses Foundation, Soraida Salwala, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | 1 Comment »
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Today was the 8th Annual Wildlife Conservation Expo, hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Network. The Wildlife Conservation Network is dedicated to protecting endangered species and preserving their natural habitats by supporting innovative strategies for people and wildlife to co-exist and thrive and fostering the entrepreneurial spirit in the field of conservation.
What got me out of bed and onto the Mission Bay campus of UCSF by 10:00am on a Saturday was a chance to hear Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton and Dr. Jane Goodall.
Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, author of Among the Elephants and star of the BBC film Secret Life of Elephants: Elephant choices and survival, spoke about the compound problems African elephants are facing: a temporary lift on the 20-year ban on ivory poaching in Africa and drought. As a result, some elephants have turned to crop raiding, which Dr. Douglas-Hamilton insists “is not good for the elephant’s political image”.
Through use of cellular technology, Dr. Douglas-Hamilton’s team is able to track the wild African elephants’ movements to learn their migration patterns, which can help alleviate the elephant-human conflict for resources and also tell them when an elephant stops moving—perhaps due to poachers—so they can alert the authorities quickly.
“The key to all conservation efforts are local people,” Dr. Douglas-Hamilton said. “Ecotourism provides a participatory relationship in conservation.”
For more information on Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, visit Save the Elephants.
According to Charlie Knowles, Co-Founder of the Wildlife Conservation Network, 1 in 1,000 species go extinct every year and we are rapidly approaching loosing 1 in every 100.
Dr. Jane Goodall announced we are “in the midst of the Sixth Great Extinction” and yet, she remains hopeful. In her new book, Hope for Animals and Their World, she recounts tales of how plants and animals on the brink of extinction—some even thought to be extinct for a century—are thriving again, thanks to the resiliency of Mother Nature and the perseverance of field biologists and conservationists.
Dr. Goodall is an enthralling speaker and storyteller, so I cannot possibly do her justice by quoting all her great sound bytes here, but I will leave you with a few choice take-aways:
- “Huge problems lie ahead, but as we raise awareness, passion and money, it is going to get easier.”
- “If you don’t give up, suddenly the future seems more rosy.”
- “It’s no good breeding a species if you can’t re-introduce it [to the wild]. Then it becomes a ‘museum species’, only in zoos.”
- “We can never hope to save the chimps if people are struggling and the chimps live in lush, protected forests…we ask the villagers what they need.”
- “If a chimpanzee who’s been abused by people can reach out and help a human in need, then surely we can reach out and help the animals now, in their time of need.”
- “Some give money, some volunteer, some take photos, sing songs. We can all do something and what a great world we’d live in if we all did”.
For more information on Dr. Jane Goodall or to purchase her book, please visit Hope for Animals and Roots and Shoots.
You can continue to support Asian Elephant conservation by:
- Making a tax-deductible donation to The Eyes of Thailand documentary film, through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society. Please visit http://www.eyesofthailand.com and click “Donate Now” to be directed to the secure online donation page.
- Attending the world premiere of the new work-in-progress clip on October 21, 2009 at King of Thai Noodle (click here for details) or online at Vimeo (password will be released on Oct 21).
- Following us on Facebook, Indiegogo and Twitter.
Sincerely,
Windy Borman
Producer, Writer and Director, The Eyes of Thailand
Tags: asian elephant, documentary, Dr, Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Eyes of Thailand, Jane Goodall, Roots and Shoots, San Francisco Film Society, Save the Elephants, Wildlife Conservation Expo, Wildlife Conservation Network, Windy Borman
Posted in Notes from the Director | No Comments »