In January I attended the Sundance Film Festival with “The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia”, another documentary I produced. It was very exciting, to say the least, to be at an internationally renowned film festival and I am happy to announce that the film will appear on HBO in October.

Last week was full of celebration and networking, and I made some powerful and inspiring connections that will be fruitful for “The Eyes of Thailand” once we complete the film this spring. This week we are keeping up the momentum by pushing “The Eyes of Thailand” forward.

In December, we launched our IndieGoGo donation campaign for individuals who would like to be a part of our inspiring and award-winning documentary by making a small donation to “The Eyes of Thailand” film.

This our LAST IndieGoGo campaign for “The Eyes of Thailand”. The last opportunity to raise $17,500 to complete the film, the last chance to claim your donation perks, pre-reserve your DVDs and posters, and your last chance to get your name in the film’s credits.

Your donations of $10, $30 and up are greatly appreciated, and can be made between today and February 28th. In return, donors will receive some very cool “perks” (think of “perks” as cool gifts).

For example, with a $100 Donation, YOU will receive:

1. IMDB Film Credit (that’s right, you would get listed in the film’s ending credits under “Thank Yous”)
2. Personal THANK YOU and Shout Out from me (the Director)
3. DVD or digital download of “The Eyes of Thailand” film & the Film’s Score (when available)
4. Official poster signed by Filmmaker

Plus, your donation is 100% Tax-deductible and 15% goes directly to the FAE Elephant Hospital in Thailand.

Watch the powerful and inspiring trailer, learn more about the campaign and how to donate at: <http://tinyurl.com/TheEyesofThailandMovement>

If you have already donated, please consider donating again, even if it’s $10. It may not seem like much to you, but $10 donations add up quickly and they give us an opportunity to announce our progress online and keep the buzz up.

Another way to help keep our momentum going is sharing the link with your friends and networks and encouraging them to join you in donating to the film.

I hope you will join us and show your support by being a part of “THE EYES OF THAILAND“ and making a small donation today.

With gratitude,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand”

Like many documentaries today, “The Eyes of Thailand” film is incorporating animations to help illustrate key events in the film for which we don’t have photos or video footage.

We’re working with Tahnee Gehm, a student at the California Institute of the Arts, studying Character Animation, to create seven (7) animations, including: illustrating how two elephant landmine survivors (Motala and Baby Mosha) arrived at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital, why the Founder Soraida Salwala decided to open FAE in 1993, and how to build an elephant-sized prosthesis.

“Inspired by Nang Yai, or traditional Thai shadow puppets, the animations were created digitally in a space that emulates a light source that casts shadows,” explains Tahnee. “The moods of the pieces are emphasized with the color of the light. With animation, more cinematic opportunities are available for story-telling than might be available in traditional shadow puppetry. Still, the spirit of shadow puppets was kept alive by creating characters with hinged limb movements.”

Below are three still frames from the film’s animations.

Mother elephant feeding the Buddha.

Many believe the Buddha was once born as a baby elephant. The still frame above shows the Mother elephant feeding the young Buddha.

Buddha's eyes

The Buddha grows up to a majestic elephant, who refuses to eat or drink until he can feed his blind, old mother.

Elephant Triumph

Soraida Salwala stood in front of an armored truck for 25 hours before the authorities relented and released the elephants, who were scheduled to be exported to a zoo.

We look forward to hearing what you think about the animations.

Happy New Year, Ele-Friends! While we’re looking forward to announcing BIG things in 2012 (ahem! like the World Premiere of “The Eyes of Thailand” film), we also want to acknowledge our accomplishments in 2011.

Last year we:

• Edited “The Eyes of Thailand” trailer at Remedy Editorial (If you haven’t seen the new cut, check it out and share it with your friends).
• Edited the film with Gary Schillinger and got to “Picture Lock”.
• Began production on the film’s animation with Tahnee Gehm.
• Began composing the film’s score with Steve Horner.
• Worked with Annabel Nguyen to design a beautiful new poster (which you can receive as a donation “perk” when you donate to the film).
• Updated http://www.eyesofthailand.com with SeenDesigns (If you haven’t seen it lately, check it out!).
• Collaborated with international artist Annabel Ruffel to create “The Eyes of Thailand” painting (another donation “perk“).
• Received an ACE Grant from the Humane Society of the United States.
• Raised over $7,500 through tax-deductible donations to cover the costs of all of the above.

Thank you for all your support and please join us in giving an “Ele-Friend” Shout Out to all of the donors who supported us in 2011!

Aimee Reiss

Alaina Zepeda

Amelie Frank

Anne Wasson

Ashley Martin

Ayumi Ashley

Belinda Ogley

Carlyn Montes De Oca

Carmen Mendieta

Carol & Stewart Kriss

Chanel Brown

Cynthia Pepper & Val Hornstein

Daniela Rible

Dhaivat Shah

Diana Iles Parker

Elephant E-ctivism

Fiona Mackie

Jack Watson

Jacqueline Eichman

James Boyle & Jennifer Kincaid

Jamie Sirgany

Jaqueline Frierman

Jennifer Bradwell

Jennifer Cote

Jimmy Jo Allen

Joel Reger

Josie nedved

Julia O. Tryk

June Billings

Karen Mulligan Linarelli

Karin Kelly-Givens

Kelly Winters

Laura McLennan

Laure A. Wiliams

Lee Holen

Lori & Wayne Aus

Maria Gloria Salinas Picon

Marilyn Eidenberg

Mark Lefko

Nela Fry

Kate Reding Coreson

Patty Coggan

Paul Hannon

Peter Hewitson

Rachel Caplan

Robert & Danuta Vanderbeek

Robert Dove

Ruthie Cassidy

Ruthy Effler

Sarah Kraft

Sarah Schwarzchild

Stacy Miller

Susan Allsbrook

Susan Beckett

Ted Durongbhand & family

William Matheu

Wendy Morgan

And a special thank you to all our Anonymous donors.

Thank you for joining us in our quest to protect Asian Elephants and ban landmines around the world. We could not do it without you!

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand”

P.S. 2011 was a banner year, but stay tuned for some BIG announcements coming soon…

“The Eyes of Thailand” has contracted Animator Tahnee Gehm to help bring certain stories within the film to life. Examples include Motala’s and Mosha’s trips to FAE’s Elephant Hospital after being injured and Soraida’s inspiration to found FAE, among others.

Tahnee is currently a student at the California Institute of the Arts, studying Character Animation. Creating a handful of internationally-screened animated short films in as many diverse styles as possible, she hopes to one day start her own animation studio. While art and animation have been life-long passions, she also enjoys playing violin and piano, along with tinkering with technology.

We’re thrilled to have Tahnee on board and look forward to unveiling a sneak peek to some animation stills soon. Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving always causes me to reflect on what I’m grateful for, and this year I’m extra grateful for all of your love and support for me, Soraida, the elephants, the staff at FAE and “The Eyes of Thailand” film.

"The Eyes of Thailand" Director/Producer Windy Borman with the cast and crew of The Chiang Mai Project (Thailand, 2007).

In 2007, I celebrated Thanksgiving in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Little did I know that within a week that adventure would lead me to my next documentary project. Armed only with a video camera and an open heart, I visited FAE’s Elephant Hospital and the rest is history.

After three trips, 100+ hours of video footage, countless interviews, and priceless donations from friends and family, we now have a feature-length documentary that will help protect Asian elephants and call for the ban and safe removal of landmines around the world.

Thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope each and everyone of you had a Thanksgiving filled with laughter and love.

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Producer/Director, “The Eyes of Thailand”

Motala and Mosha each received newly designed elephant-sized prostheses on November 9, 2011. (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

LAMPANG, THAILAND–On November 9, 2011, Mosha celebrated her sixth birthday at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital, and to mark the occasion, the staff of the Prostheses Foundation presented Mosha with her seventh prosthesis.

Dr. Therdchai Jivacite of the Prostheses Foundation presents Mosha's seventh prosthesis to Soraida Salwala, FAE's founder. (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

Mosha enjoyed her Birthday treats of tamarind, sticky rice, and bananas before test-driving her new leg in her pen.

Mosha test-drives her new prosthesis. (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

“Auntie” Motala, joined the festivities, too, when Dr. Jivacite presented her with her fourth prostheses. She walked over to Mosha’s pen to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Motala, wearing her fourth prosthesis, visits Mosha, a.k.a. the "Birthday Girl". (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

Mosha and Motala are both elephant landmine survivors and permanent residents of FAE’s Elephant Hospital. Mosha stepped on a landmine in 2006 when she was only 7-months old. In 2008, she received the world’s first elephant prosthetic, designed by Dr. Jivacite. A decade earlier, Motala stepped on a landmine; she received her first prosthesis in 2009. All of their prostheses have been designed by Dr. Jivacite and donated to FAE by the Prostheses Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Mosha’s and Motala’s journey is featured in the upcoming documentary, “The Eyes of Thailand“, directed and produced by Windy Borman and produced by Tim VandeSteeg. For more information on the film, visit: http://eyesofthailand.com

Founder Charles Knowles kicked off the 10^th Annual Wildlife Conservation Expo with some humor, but then got straight to the point: One out of every 1,000 species are going extinct every year.

“It’s a man-made problem,” said Knowles, “so we need a man-made solution.”

Which is exactly why hundreds, consisting of scientists, conservationists and wildlife supporters, gathered in San Francisco, CA: to find solutions to the rapid decline of wildlife around the world.

Next, Dr. Colleen Begg of the Niassa Lion Project shared a proverb from Mozambique: “You can’t dance well on one leg”. While she was speaking of the synergy and creative problem solving that happens when groups of committed people get together, I couldn’t help but see the connections to Motala and Baby Mosha, two elephant landmine survivors featured in “The Eyes of Thailand” documentary. You can’t dance well on one leg or three legs. I thought. Elephants need all four!
(more…)

Soraida Salwala, the Founder for the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital, sent the following email:

On Sunday morning (11th September, 2011)  Dr. Preecha called me to inform that a Sidor, a male [elephant] without tusk, stepped on a landmine in Burma.

I had to give out orders that every step of our rescue to be taken cautiously. The tide was high, rain was heavy and the elephant could not cross the river back. Somehow he could cross back later in the day but there was no truck available because it was Sunday. How unfortunate!

Why was our mission had not been told to the public? it is simple because there has been many cases in the past that the patients we were expecting did not turn up at FAE and we learned later that they were either not well taken care of or died.

So, our goal is to minimize the pains of this elephant as soon as possible and cure him.

This morning the truck went into the forest but was blocked by the trees that fell down from the rainstorm yesterday and it is still raining until now. So, our volunteers had to chop all those trees and reached the elephant. He got on the truck at 11.10 a.m. 12th September, 2011.

I was worried when I did not hear any report as to where they were and how far they had covered but of course it was near the border, there was no signal or low. By  mid afternoon we learned that the truck got block by the landslide on the mountain still in Tak Province, 4 hours !

The volunteer had to walk long distance to search for mobile signal to call our vet.

By 4.30 p.m. they could move. I was worried PaHaePo, the elephant, would be in great pain, so I asked Dr. Preecha to contact a livestock vet. The truck stopped at the Checkpoint so the vet could give him the painkiller and have him rest there for awhile.

6.35 p.m. the truck has started over 3 hours drive to FAE.

I have informed the Police Spokesman who has kindly asked for the plate number and  the patrol police will help clear the traffic on the highway.

Thanks to all involved.

Hope PaHaePo will arrive safely. The injuries, as I am told, are less severe than Boonmee and Maekapae, but we’ll see.

At the moment, there’s no electricity at FAE, it’s been raining there.

–
Soraida Salwala
Founder & Secretary General
Friends of the Asian Elephant

We will post updates and photos as they come in.

Sincerely,

Windy Borman
Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand“

I am thrilled to announce that in less than a month we’ve raised over US $2,000 for “The Eyes of Thailand” through our IndieGoGo campaign!  Thanks to donations from our “Ele-Friends” like you, we’re well on our way to securing the US $75,000 needed to complete the Film and submit it to film festivals this fall.

If you haven’t visited our IndieGoGo page, yet, please read the details below and then click here to make your tax-deductible donation today and learn how to share it with your friends.

Our Goal & Donation Perks

Director/Producer Windy Borman filming in Thailand (2009).

Director | Producer Windy Borman began filming “The Eyes of Thailand” in 2007. Thanks to your support over the last 4 years, the filming is complete and we’re ready to begin the Post-production phase. After approximately 16 weeks, the Film will be complete and ready to submit to film festivals.

We need US $75,000 to complete the “The Eyes of Thailand” and get it ready to submit to film festivals by the end of 2011. The current funds sought will be allocated to the Post-production costs of the Film, which include: crew wages; celebrity narrator; editing; visual effects; music composer/score; animation; color correction; transfer costs; music and stock footage rights; lab fees; film festival submissions; producers’ and director’s fees; and business, insurance and legal expenses.

We know it’s a big goal, but we also know we can do it with your help! Plus, we’ve gathered some GREAT perks for our Ele-Friends, including:

Win a FREE 15-day Trip for 2 in Thailand from Intrepid Travel

• Posters
• T-shirts
• Artisan chocolates by Choclatique
• Fine art photography by Jodi Frediani and Suzanne Roland
• Invitations to the Film’s Sneak Peeks
• A private screening with the Filmmaker for you and 25 friends, and
• A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE 15-DAY TRIP FOR 2 IN THAILAND from Intrepid Travel.

For more information on the Donation Perks, please visit http://ht.ly/5Wntb . We’ll add to it as more perks are available, so check back often.

NOTE: ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE thanks to our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society.

If we don’t reach our fundraising goal of $75,000, we will still push the Film through to completion; it just may take longer to complete, which means delaying the impact we can make to protect endangered Asian Elephants and pressure all governments to sign the Mine Ban Treaty.

If we exceed our Fundraising Goal, we will apply the funds toward the Film’s Marketing and Publicity budget so we can make a bigger splash when we hit the film festival circuit in 2012.

Our Impact

Soraida & Mosha at FAE. Photo by Jodi Frediani

Our social and environmental goals for “The Eyes of Thailand” are to:

• Educate and inspire viewers to protect Asian Elephants, and
• Encourage all governments to ban the use of landmines

Our ultimate hope is to convey the added sense of urgency for people and organizations worldwide to pressure Thailand to change its laws to protect the dwindling number of Asian Elephants. If nothing is done, the species will become extinct within the next 50 years, producing devastating effects on the environment, as well as the social and cultural structure of the country.

Other Ways You Can Help

In addition to donating to “The Eyes of Thailand“, you can help spread the word by joining our Facebook Page, following us on Twitter and suggesting us to your friends. There are some handy “share” tools on IndieGoGo to make this easier, so please check them out, too.

If you really want to be a Social Media Star, you can help promote “The Eyes of Thailand” fundraising campaign to your network. Email friends, give us shout outs on Facebook and Twitter, mention us in your Newsletters and Blogs, and add a link to the Film on your website.

15-piece Choclatique Collection, including a dark chocolate elephant

Not feeling techie? No problem. You can also host a Party with a Purpose for your “Ele-Friends” in honor of “The Eyes of Thailand”.

1. Host a dinner party, dance party, game night, etc. and have a suggested donation at the door.
2. Play “The Eyes of Thailand” trailer, which you can find on our website and YouTube.
3. Ask your friends to donate to “The Eyes of Thailand” film.
4. Pool the donations and make a large donation online.

In fact, if you donate $5,000 or more, you qualify for a Private Screening with Director Windy Borman for you and 25 friends!

Our Story

"The Eyes of Thailand" Poster

D.V.A. Productions, in Association with Indiewood Pictures, is producing the powerful and hard-hitting feature documentary “The Eyes of Thailand“, a true and inspirational story of one woman’s quest to help two elephant landmine survivors—Motala and Baby Mosha—walk on their own four legs. Treating their wounds was only part of the journey; building elephant-sized prostheses was another.

Told in the style of “The Cove” (2009), “Born into Brothels” (2004) and “Gorillas in the Mist” (1988), “The Eyes of Thailand” is a touching and uplifting story of how far one woman will go to ease the suffering of an endangered species.

The Film is Directed and Produced by Windy Borman and Produced by award-winning producer Tim VandeSteeg.

On Monday I read one of the most misleading articles I’ve seen in a long time. According to the Zoo News Digest, the reason they export elephants from Thailand is to help with overpopulation:

There are already too many elephants in some of the national parks. Space is at a premium. It is estimated that the Kang Ang Rue Nai national park can comfortably support a population of around 190 animals. Unfortunately the numbers there are now somewhere between 250 and 270 elephants. There is not enough space or food to go round.

Animals are now coming out of the forest and raiding the surrounding farms. A few more wiley groups are hijacking trucks loaded with sugarcane or cassava. The authorities have now prohibited nightime travel and use of the roads in the area to prevent elephant attack.

What is the solution? Contraception, culling, relocation. Whatever… this is an elephant sized problem which is not going to go away in a hurry.

Soraida Salwala, the founder of the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital and featured in The Eyes of Thailand documentary, is a well-known elephant advocate. I asked her to respond to the article and here is what she said:

I was quoted on Thai Rath Newspaper the other day about the wild elephants in AngLueNai Wildlife Sanctuary. Actually it was me who proposed the closure of Highway 3259 since 2-3 years ago during the night time and if possible, close it for good and use other roads instead. Returning the roads back to the real owners since the elephants roam there and they know their routes well.

I believe the impression they are feeding the public of having too many elephants is misleading. Wild elephants may be more in numbers at certain national parks or wildlife sanctuaries but they are wild. The ones they wish to export have to be the ones in captivity but the numbers are declining. Are they saying they want to export wild elephants??? That would be unacceptable, FAE is against Thai elephants export no matter where they are from.

The traders [who] wish to export come up with this grand idea without telling the truth where they capture the baby elephants or even adults or tuskers, they are taken from their families, from the herd. Forests are where they all belong even though we cannot put the ones in captivity back to the forests, not many of them can survive.

Pray for the elephants, pray for more kindness and compassion in the hearts of humankind.

Asian Elephants remain on the endangered species list and Thailand estimates that they have less than 5,000 Asian Elephants. Consequently, I find it hard to believe that there are “too many” elephants in Thailand. While I do not dismiss the concern of human-elephant conflict for resources, I cannot help but see the Zoo News Digest article as a poorly veiled call for more elephant exports to stock the world’s zoos. Unfortunately, because there is so much money to be made in elephant trade, this will increase the number of wild-caught elephants, usually babies ripped from their families so they never learn how to socialize or care for calves, which is partly why elephants kill their calves in zoos.

It’s a vicious cycle and one that we can avoid if we make it clear that we do not want to see elephants in zoos; we want to see them in their natural habitat or true sanctuaries.

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand