Culture Interviews Cinema & Tv

The Elephant Queen: Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone interview on Apple TV+’s first documentary

The Elephant Queen: Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone interview on Apple TV+’s first documentary

The Elephant Queen is a documentary produced and directed by Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble, spanning a four-year period of filming in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya. The duo collaborated with a small team to capture the journey of an elephant family headed up by Athena, a 50-year-old matriarch.

The film, narrated by Bafta award-winning actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, takes audiences to the very heart of the elephant herd as they strive against the harsh savannah sun and a brutal drought. Through Athena, her herd and weird and wonderful creatures like bullfrogs and dung beetles, we encounter the effects of love and loss whilst the striking cinematography captures these powerful animals within their kingdom. The project also raises the issues of elephant poaching and the future survival of these gentle giants.

We sat down with the directors to discuss these pertinent issues, the experimental techniques used to film these magnificent creatures and what they hope audiences will take away from The Elephant Queen.

Ezelle Alblas

The Elephant Queen is released on Apple TV+ on 1st November 2019.

Watch the trailer for The Elephant Queen here:

More in Cinema & Tv

Fondazione Prada launches €1.5 million annual film fund to support independent cinema worldwide

The editorial unit

Final Destination Bloodlines

Antonia Georgiou

Netflix sets global premiere for Lena Dunham’s cross-Atlantic comedy Too Much on 10th July

The editorial unit

Apple TV+ schedules global premiere of thriller Echo Valley starring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney for June 2025

The editorial unit

London’s Picturehouse Central to host fourth edition of The World’s Biggest All Nighter with diverse film marathons and celebrity curators

The editorial unit

Murderbot

Umar Ali

American Cinematheque’s Bleak Week Film Festival expands globally, making London debut in June 2025

The editorial unit

Seeking Mavis Beacon

Christina Yang

Desire: The Carl Craig Story

Andrew Murray