Behind The Siamese Smile
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- Pichayada
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Short documentary “Behind the Siamese Smile” exposes the shocking truth about Asian elephants in Thailand's booming tourist trade, which rarely receives any media coverage.
The documentary unveils the other side of the elephant tourist business in the Land of Smiles (Thailand), where domesticated Asian elephants are trained to give ingenious performances in tourist camps. Their cuteness and 'intelligence' never fails to attract tourists from around the world. However, not so many people are aware of the real situation of these animals or their living conditions. Besides uncovering the current situation of the elephants, the documentary also features an ancient taming ritual known as 'Pajaan,' where baby elephants receive hard training in order to enter the tourist business.
"Behind the Siamese Smile" aims to raise the public awareness of the animal's plights, while questioning the common perception of the Thai Asian elephants in the tourist business.
The documentary has been selected for screening at 2011 ISFF Detmold Short Film Festival in Germany as well as at the Once A Week Film Festival.
The documentary unveils the other side of the elephant tourist business in the Land of Smiles (Thailand), where domesticated Asian elephants are trained to give ingenious performances in tourist camps. Their cuteness and 'intelligence' never fails to attract tourists from around the world. However, not so many people are aware of the real situation of these animals or their living conditions. Besides uncovering the current situation of the elephants, the documentary also features an ancient taming ritual known as 'Pajaan,' where baby elephants receive hard training in order to enter the tourist business.
"Behind the Siamese Smile" aims to raise the public awareness of the animal's plights, while questioning the common perception of the Thai Asian elephants in the tourist business.
The documentary has been selected for screening at 2011 ISFF Detmold Short Film Festival in Germany as well as at the Once A Week Film Festival.
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- groups:
- Videos, VC2 Top Contenders UK
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- tags:
- Abuse, Animal Abuse, Thailand, Asian Elephants, 4 more
