Woodstock Film Festival

Upstate Films II RHINEBECK
10/01/2010, 2:30PM

WOODSTOCK Town Hall
10/02/2010, 12:00PM

Ten years in the making, “One Lucky Elephant” is a love story unlike any other. It is a touching, surprising, and unforgettable film created with a deep commitment from the filmmaker to tell this one-of-a-kind story.

David Balding, founder and producer of Circus Flora, had the best of intentions when he adopted a young African elephant and made her the centerpiece and namesake of his show. Balding cared for Flora, his young elephant, like she was his own child. But elephants, like children, grow up, and when it came time for Flora to find a new home, Balding’s troubles began.

"A parable of pachydermish proportions, "One Lucky Elephant" is a bittersweet story of man, beast and a very real relationship that makes helmer Lisa Leeman's docu the thinking person's "Dumbo" —and, coincidentally, one of the better kids' movies on the fest circuit." —John Anderson, VARIETY

Filmmaker Lisa Leeman lets the story unfold over the years, as it takes one surprising and dramatic turn after another. In “One Lucky Elephant” we see the complicated and often heartbreaking results of taking wild animals away from their natural home. (David Becker)

BIO:
Lisa Leeman's film work has taken her to the Himalayas, Chernobyl, rural Australia, and her own backyard of Venice Beach, California. Her first feature doc, "Metamorphosis: Man into Woman," won the Filmmakers Trophy at Sundance. Other credits include co-directing & editing "Who Needs Sleep" with renowned cinematographer & director Haskell Wexler (Sundance Film Festival), and directing the recent feature doc "Out of Faith" (PBS). Leeman is currently co-directing, with Paola di Florio, a feature documentary about the famed swami Paramahansa Yogananda, and is co-producing "Crazy Wisdom: The Life & Times of Chogyam Trunga," which profiles the influential and provocative Tibetan Buddhist teacher and his deep impact on the West.

VISIT FILM or FILMMAKER WEBSITE:
Visit www.oneluckyelephant.com

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