The Eyes of Thailand | |
---|---|
Directed by | Windy Borman |
Written by | Tim O'Brien Windy Borman |
Produced by | Windy Borman Tim VandeSteeg |
Narrated by | Ashley Judd |
Edited by | Gary Schillinger |
Music by | Steve Horner |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Eyes of Thailand is a 2012 documentary film directed and produced by Windy Borman and produced by Tim VandeSteeg. The film chronicles the work of Soraida Salwala, who opened the world's first elephant hospital (Friends of Asian Elephants Hospital) in Lampang, Thailand and together with her team, created the world's first elephant prosthesis. [1] [2]
The Eyes of Thailand tells the true story of Soraida Salwala's 10-year quest to help two elephant landmine survivors, Motala and Baby Mosha, walk again after losing their legs in landmine accidents. Along with Soraida's efforts to care for the injured elephants and ultimately help them to walk again, the film also highlights the dangers posed by landmines. [3]
Director/Producer Windy Borman started making this film in 2007. The film went through several revisions due to then-ongoing changes in the story of Motala and Mosha. [4] Actress Ashley Judd served as the narrator, saying about the film, "I hope it will raise awareness to protect Asian elephants—and all beings—from the terror of landmines." [5]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ace Documentary Grant [6] | December 30, 2011 | Documentary | Won |
Ashley Judd is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists, the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna Judd. Her acting career has spanned more than three decades, and she has become heavily involved in global humanitarian efforts and political activism.
Wynonna Ellen Judd, known simply as Wynonna, is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country musicians in history. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, including those with The Judds. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to—and performed under—the singular stage name, Wynonna. She first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in their mother-daughter country music duo, The Judds. They released seven albums on Curb Records, in addition to 26 singles, of which 14 were No. 1 hits. In 2023 Wynonna was named the best country music artist picking up the "country champion" award at the "People's Choice Country Awards".
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Motola is a 45-year-old female Asian elephant in Thailand who stepped on a landmine in 1999, while working at a logging camp near the Burmese border. The mine mangled her left front foot and leg, and her foot was amputated shortly after. The accident highlighted the dangers of mines that remain from various insurgencies.
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Therdchai Jivacate is a Thai orthopedic surgeon and inventor known for his humanitarian activities in providing free prosthetic limbs to impoverished amputees, and for his development of techniques allowing low-cost, high-quality prostheses to be made from local materials. The activities of the Prostheses Foundation, which he founded in 1992 under royal sponsorship from the Princess Mother Srinagarindra, have expanded beyond the borders of Thailand to Malaysia, Laos, and Burma. Jivacate has established Thailand's first and only educational institution of occupational therapy at Chiang Mai University. He has also created an educational programme for children suffering from chronic diseases at Maharaj Hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima. In 2008, he was given the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.
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Soraida Salwala founded the world’s first hospital for elephants in 1993, the “Friends of the Asian Elephant Hospital” in Thailand.
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