You’ve probably seen the Hollywood-produced film about
humans helping animals, Dolphin Tale, starring Harry
Connick, Jr., Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.
It was heartwarming, uplifting and based on an actual story … it did
well at the box office and everyone came away from the experience feeling
better about themselves.
The actors were players in a movie; they did a great job …
and moved on. Except one of them, that
would be Ashley Judd, who actually uses her celebrity in support of causes
related to animals that she truly believes in … which leads us to the Feb. 26
DVD release announcement this week from FilmWorks Entertainment, The
Eyes of Thailand.
Narrated by Judd, this award-winning documentary from
filmmaker Windy Borman is an intimate — and tear-inducing — look at the
horrors experienced by elephants in Thailand who have been maimed by landmines
(plus knife and gunshot wounds … broken bones, etc.) and the heroic efforts of Soraida
Salwala and her Asian Elephant Hospital to nurse these noble animals back to
health.
Since 1993, Salwala, her dedicated staff and The Friends of
Asian Elephants (FAE) have provided treatment to over 3,000 elephants — they
have become their voice; their saviors.
The film zeroes in on two specific cases — Motala, one of
Salawala’s most difficult (and rewarding) challenges (losing a leg in 1999),
and the young Mosha (a seven-month old baby) — both victims of landmines.
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| Soraida Salwala and Motala in The Eyes of Thailand |
We hear of their stories, we follow Salwala’s efforts to
create elephant-sized prosthetics — a difficult challenge, since she must start
from scratch and learn from trial and error — and in the process filmmaker
Windy Borman is able to transcend the nuts and bolts of the operation and imbue
her film with a spirit of love, kindness and hope. Film festivals and special screenings have
all yielded the same results: Rave reviews and not a dry eye in the house.
Salwala, who suffers from health issues of her own, perhaps
say it best when she hopes that the day will come when she has “ … an elephant
hospital without any patients.”
Bonus goodies on the DVD release of The Eyes of Thailand
include bonus footage, extended interviews and a photo gallery.
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