Actress treks to Thailand to save an Asian elephant in new doc
After flying to Cambodia to see elephants released onto a sanctuary, Ashley Bell, the director of “Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story,” said it was “naive to think it was a happily ever after story.”
It was more than a simple release. Going to Cambodia put Bell face to face with the mistreatment some Asian elephants in captivity endure—and it also put her face to face with Lek Chailert.
“There was illegal logging and poaching happening on the land. We were briefly surrounded by the Cambodian military in army fatigues, flip-flops and AK-47s But, through that whole situation I saw Lek Chailert’s iPad footage of what it took to rescue the elephants,” said Belle. “And it was raw and hopeful and victorious and harrowing and I’d never seen anything like that. And I said that, that's the story.”
Bell, known for her acting in the 2010 thriller “The Last Exorcism,” made her debut as a director with “Love & Bananas.” The documentary follows the story of Chailert, an elephant rescuer, as she embarks on a mission to save Noi Na, a partially blind 70-year-old elephant. Bell accompanied Chailert on this journey, experiencing first-hand the emotional intensity of these expeditions.
“Yes, taking an 8,000 pound elephant 500 miles across Thailand is definitely treacherous,” said Bell. “And that dawned upon me when I was in the back of that truck.”
Bell recalls the moment tension reached its peak: when the massive mammal got heatstroke, threatening to topple the truck were it to pass out.
“And all we could do was focus, stay quiet, keep cameras going and I suppose hope for the best, but try to be as alert as possible,” said Bell.
Chailert’s rescues may be stress inducing, but they pay off. The elephants benefit from the freedom they gain when they reach the sanctuary, Elephant Nature Park, and Chailert benefits from the relationships that are forged between she and these animals.
“Lek is mom to them and they trust her because she treats them with respect,” said Bell.
Being with Chailert at the reserve allowed Bell to be accepted by the elephant community as well.
“So, when I sat next to Lek, I was just engulfed by these elephants and to look up and be sitting in the middle of an elephant's legs and look up and just see this trunk and these ears—it was surreal,” said Bell. “It's been an honor to tell this story.”
The documentary doesn’t stop at telling the story of Chailert and her elephants. It also invites audiences to get involved. On the website, loveandbananas.com, individuals are encouraged to share the story and educate others on the situation; sign a “humane travel” pledge; donate to the Love & Bananas fund; and bring the film to communities with community screenings. By signing the humane travel pledge, individuals vow to not support entertainment or tourist activities, such as elephant rides, that inhumanely exploit elephants.
Bell said the Love & Bananas fund raised in three days the target amount for the entire campaign. The money goes to supporting efforts to save and care for Asian elephants in Thailand and Cambodia.
Though the documentary was Bell’s first endeavor as a director, Bell hopes it won’t be her last.
“It's been so fulfilling,” said Bell. “The project has lasted five years to complete it and for five years I've had a constant source of creativity. And to be whipped up in this creative cycle of collaborating and learning and developing and talking to other artists that I've revered that have come on board because they believe in Lek’s message, that's been the most exciting part, personally, for me.”
“Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story” is in select U.S. theaters through June 13.
It was more than a simple release. Going to Cambodia put Bell face to face with the mistreatment some Asian elephants in captivity endure—and it also put her face to face with Lek Chailert.
“There was illegal logging and poaching happening on the land. We were briefly surrounded by the Cambodian military in army fatigues, flip-flops and AK-47s But, through that whole situation I saw Lek Chailert’s iPad footage of what it took to rescue the elephants,” said Belle. “And it was raw and hopeful and victorious and harrowing and I’d never seen anything like that. And I said that, that's the story.”
Bell, known for her acting in the 2010 thriller “The Last Exorcism,” made her debut as a director with “Love & Bananas.” The documentary follows the story of Chailert, an elephant rescuer, as she embarks on a mission to save Noi Na, a partially blind 70-year-old elephant. Bell accompanied Chailert on this journey, experiencing first-hand the emotional intensity of these expeditions.
“Yes, taking an 8,000 pound elephant 500 miles across Thailand is definitely treacherous,” said Bell. “And that dawned upon me when I was in the back of that truck.”
Bell recalls the moment tension reached its peak: when the massive mammal got heatstroke, threatening to topple the truck were it to pass out.
“And all we could do was focus, stay quiet, keep cameras going and I suppose hope for the best, but try to be as alert as possible,” said Bell.
Chailert’s rescues may be stress inducing, but they pay off. The elephants benefit from the freedom they gain when they reach the sanctuary, Elephant Nature Park, and Chailert benefits from the relationships that are forged between she and these animals.
“Lek is mom to them and they trust her because she treats them with respect,” said Bell.
Being with Chailert at the reserve allowed Bell to be accepted by the elephant community as well.
“So, when I sat next to Lek, I was just engulfed by these elephants and to look up and be sitting in the middle of an elephant's legs and look up and just see this trunk and these ears—it was surreal,” said Bell. “It's been an honor to tell this story.”
The documentary doesn’t stop at telling the story of Chailert and her elephants. It also invites audiences to get involved. On the website, loveandbananas.com, individuals are encouraged to share the story and educate others on the situation; sign a “humane travel” pledge; donate to the Love & Bananas fund; and bring the film to communities with community screenings. By signing the humane travel pledge, individuals vow to not support entertainment or tourist activities, such as elephant rides, that inhumanely exploit elephants.
Bell said the Love & Bananas fund raised in three days the target amount for the entire campaign. The money goes to supporting efforts to save and care for Asian elephants in Thailand and Cambodia.
Though the documentary was Bell’s first endeavor as a director, Bell hopes it won’t be her last.
“It's been so fulfilling,” said Bell. “The project has lasted five years to complete it and for five years I've had a constant source of creativity. And to be whipped up in this creative cycle of collaborating and learning and developing and talking to other artists that I've revered that have come on board because they believe in Lek’s message, that's been the most exciting part, personally, for me.”
“Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story” is in select U.S. theaters through June 13.