Private Project

Shiva Shanker's Fate

A poor elephant handler working in Nepal’s national park dreams of becoming a policeman.

To succeed, Shiva needs to prove his physical fitness and pass a written exam, but he will need to leave his beloved elephant behind.

As tourists wrestle with animal cruelty, Shiva's caste threatens to keep him chained to a low-paid tradition.

Filmmaker Andrew Davies reveals a sensitive elephant-handler in pursuit of a secure future.

  • Andrew Davies
    Director
  • Andrew Davies
    Writer
  • Flora Gregory
    Producer
  • Shiva Shanker Ram
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 30, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    Nepal
  • Language:
    English, Nepali
  • Shooting Format:
    FS7
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Andrew Davies

Andrew Davies's work spans documentary, fiction and music videos. His company CampaignFilm - founded in 2012 - works principally to support the work of NGO's, producing compassionate stories fit for a digital age.

Andrew has shot in Nepal, Japan, India, Tanzania, Kenya following stories of natural disasters, uncovering inequalities and exposing the abuse of endangered animals for commerical gain.

Andrew's work has been seen in national online press, awarded in the catagory of best PSA and highly commended by short film judging panels.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Shiva Shanker's Fate briefly shows us the underbelly of elephant tourism in Nepal. It highlights the exploitation of caste in a country that denies its existence.

In the centre of that we have Shiva Shanker who is attempting to transcend his caste and so leave the elephant tourism industry, but he is also attached to his elephant, Laxmi Kali.

In this we have an ethnographic picture that briefly shows us the life of the elephant as well as the human and the predicament they find themselves in.