Co-directors Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble spent four years in Kenya filming a herd of elephants for The Elephant Queen. Their efforts paid off in an emotional journey for audiences of all ages, in the style of March of the Penguins. At the centre of this film's story is the elephant mother known as Athena, who is forced to lead her family on an epic journey in search of water. Along the way, we get to know the African savannah's ecosystem, from its largest to its smallest creatures. The project is designed for the big screen, with a lush, orchestral score presented in Dolby Atmos sound. In this conversation, Stone and Deeble discuss the logistical and philosophical challenges of making such a large-scale documentary.
Guest
Victoria Stone
Victoria Stone has an MA from the Royal College of Art in London. She and Mark Deeble are Emmy and Peabody award-winning wildlife documentarians. Their films include The Queen of Trees (05) and The Elephant Queen (18), their most recent work.
Guest
Mark Deeble
Mark Deeble is from Cornwall, and studied zoology at Imperial College London. He and Victoria Stone are Emmy and Peabody award-winning wildlife documentarians. Their films include The Queen of Trees (05) and The Elephant Queen (18), their most recent work.
Guest
Thom Powers
Documentary Programmer, TIFF - HOST
Powers has served as an International Documentary Programmer for the Festival since 2006. He created and leads the Festival's Doc Conference; and hosts the podcast Pure Nonfiction interviewing documentary filmmakers. He curates for the digital streaming service SundanceNOW Doc Club, and for the Miami International Film Festival. He and his wife, Raphaela Neihausen, serve as directors of DOC NYC, run the weekly documentary screening series Stranger than Fiction at Manhattan's IFC Center, and host WNYC's radio segment Documentary of the Week. Powers teaches at the School of Visual Arts MFA SocDoc program.
https://www.tiff.net/tiff/doc-conference-the-making-of-the-elephant-queen/