Documentary film on Asian elephants' epic adventure launches in China

A documentary film project chronicling the epic adventure of a herd of wild Asian elephants was launched at a ceremony in southwest China's Yunnan province on Thursday.

A documentary film project chronicling the epic adventure of a herd of wild Asian elephants is launched at a ceremony in southwest China's Yunnan province on Nov. 16, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

The film, titled "The Elephant Odyssey," follows the improbable journey of the wandering Asian elephants in Yunnan that captivated viewers around the world, bringing it to global cinema screens for the first time.

In March 2020, the elephants left a forest nature reserve in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, and trekked about 500 km northwards to the provincial capital Kunming, arriving in June 2021. They have since headed south again, arriving safely back at the nature reserve.

Lu Cairong, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), speaks at a documentary launch ceremony in southwest China's Yunnan province on Nov. 16, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

Lu Cairong, vice president of China International Communications Group, said "The Elephant Odyssey" is a collaborative effort between film institutions from China, Canada and Singapore, representing a valuable attempt to tell the story of China's ecological conservation.

The documentary will be produced by IMAX Corporation, Beach House Pictures and China Review Studio of the China Center for International Communication Development.

It is slated for release across IMAX theaters and commercial cinemas worldwide after completion in 2024.