An interview with the director of Lucy: The Stolen Lives of Elephants

Fern Levitt is a Canadian documentary filmmaker whose latest work focuses on elephant captivity in zoos—with a focus on the suffering of Lucy, an elephant imprisoned alone for decades in the Edmonton Valley Zoo. Fern is also an NhRP supporter and monthly donor. The NhRP’s work is featured in the film, which premiered on Canada’s top broadcast channel in April. Fern and her team are currently planning US screenings. Below, Fern responds to a few questions from NhRP Communications Director Lauren Choplin about Lucy: The Stolen Lives of Elephants and more.

LC: What compelled you to make this film?

FL: Someone sent me a picture of Lucy, alone in a concrete enclosure with painted palm trees on the walls. That’s how she lived for most of the year as Edmonton is one of the coldest cities in the world. I didn’t know a great deal about elephants then but I knew enough that female elephants are never alone and that they travel with their herd covering thousands of miles each year over a diverse environment. I knew Lucy had been taken from Sri Lanka when she was only two years of age and came to Edmonton at that time. She’s now close to 50 years old. There have been many attempts to send Lucy to a sanctuary over the years but the zoo refuses to let her go.

While I looked at her photo I knew I had to help her and I was ashamed as a Canadian that we were keeping her hostage in Canada. I have a powerful platform as a documentary filmmaker and so I was determined to try and help her and other elephants who live in zoos. I learned in the course of making the film the extent of the both physical and psychological harm that’s imposed on elephants, in fact all wild animals when we put them in these prisons, which is what zoos are. Not beacons of conservation and education as they continually state to an unknowing public, but prisons. It took me three years to make this film as I spent a great deal of time in research, speaking to the experts and finding the most powerful stories that demonstrate the cruelty of captivity and the lies zoos tell the public in order to sell their false narrative of conservation and education. Making Lucy was a life-changing experience.

LC: What do you hope this film will inspire or achieve? 

FL: I have lofty goals for this film, which align with the goals of the Nonhuman Rights Project—to end elephant captivity in zoos and keep them in the wild where they belong, for their sake, for the sake of our planet, and for the sake of us as humans. But my goals extend further than elephants; I want to see the end of zoos. Although my focus is on elephants, this film applies to all wild animals who are forced to live in these elaborate and many times not-so-elaborate prisons. That is what zoos are, prisons for animals. I hope this film will open the eyes of the public the way that making this film has opened my eyes to the truth of captivity.

I once went to zoos and took my kids to zoos, rode elephants, swam with dolphins, I did it all and never thought about how these activities were impacting the animals who were being used for profit and entertainment. I bought into the propaganda that zoos were selling the public and I should have known better. I’m a journalist; I’m supposed to look at both sides and find out the truth, but I didn’t ask questions about the welfare of these animals. As someone who claims to love and admire animals, why didn’t I? My answer is that I didn’t want to know the answer as I cared more about what I wanted than what was best for these animals.  Both films I’ve directed, the first one on the commercial sled dog industry called Sled Dogs and now this one on elephants, have opened my eyes to the truth, and my own complicity to their suffering made me determined to expose the truth through this film and through the media. I cannot tolerate the suffering of animals so I have to do everything I can to help them. In this sense the completion of my film is not the end, it is only the beginning.

LC: What aspect of making the film was most difficult?

FL: The filming was the most difficult, and having to remain silent when I knew these elephants were being abused. Normally I speak up when I witness injustice, but I couldn’t say anything when we were filming in order to capture the suffering of these animals for the film. I was in Sri Lanka and we were filming this place where tourists can go and interact with the elephants who were kept in line by the use of bullhooks and chains. There were hundreds of tourists that day, taking pictures with the elephants or lying on them in the water and I wanted to ask why they were so blind and so selfish. But of course I couldn’t or I wouldn’t have been able to complete the filming. The other aspect that was so difficult was actually watching the film on the big screen in the theater. I’ve seen my film countless times in the editing room as we edited this film. But actually sitting back and watching it on a big screen was very difficult for me emotionally, and the only time I felt my body relax was during the scenes of the EcoPark in Buenos Aires.

LC: Why was it so difficult for you to watch the film in the theater, do you think? 

When I am filming or editing, I’m very focused on what needs to be done. I’m working with my cinematographer to capture the strongest visuals that will move the story forward and the same with the editor.  I have hundreds of hours of footage that I have to go over and chose how to put this story together. I can’t let my emotion get in the way of my decision-making.  So, when I am watching the film during the editing process, I’m watching it with a critical eye.  My thoughts are continually on questioning our decisions. Is this the most powerful footage we used to tell this one particular story; are there better quotes we should use?

It was only when the film was finished and the first time that I watched it in a theatre on a giant screen that I could finally sit back and fully take in the suffering of the elephants and what we humans do to them. It’s very hard on me emotionally as watching the film fills me with both rage and utter despair.  That doesn’t stop me from fighting for them, in fact watching my film propels me to keep going, but it’s a difficult film to watch as we are faced with the harsh reality of what we do to these magnificent animals. To this day, despite all the films I’ve made, I still do not understand how people can be so heartless and cruel, especially towards the most innocent.

I do hear many times that people can’t watch films showing the abuse of animals and I understand that. My reply is that if I can spend three to four years making this film, then you the public can and need to watch it so you can join us and spread the message that zoos need to end and wild animals belong in the wild for their sake and for ours.

LC: What was the response to the film in Canada? 

FL: I’m very encouraged by the response in Canada. There have been many articles on this film, all asking the same question, why are there elephants in zoos? I continue to read the many comments on our account on Instagram, with those who’ve seen the film encouraged to see other people questioning the ethics of zoos, which was never questioned when I was growing up and raising my children. 

Also it was our public broadcaster, the CBC, which commissioned this film knowing they could receive criticism or threats of legal action against them from the zoos, which did happen, but they supported this film and I’m very proud of them. The most encouraging and hopeful news is that a new bill, S-15, has passed through the Canadian Senate. The bill would end elephants and great ape captivity in Canada. If the Liberals win the next federal election, and they are poised to win, then this bill will become law in Parliament, making Canada the first country in the world to end elephant captivity. This is very exciting and I hope other countries will follow the example of Canada. Bill S-15 shows that attitudes towards animals and zoos are changing. My film was released at the right time and it supports this very progressive bill.

LC: What are your plans for the film outside Canada?

We hope this film will be on a major streaming platform such as Netflix, HBO, or CNN where it should receive a great deal of publicity due to the fact that this is the first documentary to expose the cruelty of keeping elephants in zoos. And zoos are a major tourist attraction. We received a great deal of publicity in the US when we released our documentary Sled Dogs. The New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, even Rolling Stone wrote about the film, so I’d imagine with zoos throughout the US, we’ll receive even more media attention. And of course, we hope international broadcasters will show this film to their public and start a much-needed conversation. Education brings about change and it’s time to end this cruel and archaic institution of zoos.

LC: Anything else you want NhRP supporters to know about this film?

FL: I’d like all your supporters to watch the film, encourage others to watch it and spread our Instagram and the film trailer as widely as possible. The more people who watch the film and learn the truth, the sooner zoos will end. I hope zoos will transition the same way the Eco-Park did and stop using animals in their exhibits. If they don’t, they’ll be forced to close as knowledge of captivity is growing. Documentaries play a vital role in uncovering truths kept hidden and I’ll be proud if my film plays a role in ending zoos. 

Overall, I hope my documentary will open the eyes of the public on the reality of zoos the same way Blackfish revealed the truth about whale and dolphin captivity. Because of that documentary, Canada enacted The Free Willy Act ending the captivity of whales and dolphins, and other countries did the same–as many countries as we would like, no, but this marks a significant beginning of the end of animal captivity.

 LC: Why do you support the NhRP, and why did you decide to become a monthly donor to the NhRP?

My films are the just the beginning. I make films to bring about change and my goal in making this film is to end elephants in all forms of captivity and to keep them in the wild where they belong. My larger goal is to end zoos. The Nonhuman Rights Project aligns with my goals and you are doing creating change in the most effective way, using the legal system which is absolutely brilliant. First of all, using the court system promotes a great deal media attention to your cause and getting the media involved guarantees that the public will learn about the cruelty of captivity.  Also, the only way to bring about real change is through the legal system and through the changing of laws that promote the rights of animals.  

This is precisely the mission of the Nonhuman Rights Project—to advance the rights of animals—and it aligns deeply with my own values. Through the making of this film, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of getting to know the dedicated individuals behind the NhRP. Their passion, integrity, and relentless pursuit of justice are unmatched. I am proud to stand behind their groundbreaking work and look forward to witnessing the transformative impact the NhRP will continue to make in creating a more just world for animals.

Thank you Fern for your advocacy and support! Stay updated on the film at lucythestolenlivesofelephants.com and on Instagram at @lucythestolenlivesofelephants.