Unspoken Souls

Amid intensifying forest fires and floods, Thailand’s renowned elephant whisperer and an ordinary college student fight to give 55 elephants a life free from abusive circus shows. But caught between entrenched customs and human greed that reduce these majestic animals to financial assets, they confront a question that echoes far beyond Thailand’s elephant tourism industry: in a world driven by survival and profit, what must come first—life or money?

  • Koh Okuno
    Director
  • Mieko Saho
    Director
  • Saengduean "Lek" Chailert
    Key Cast
    "Lek "
  • Chatchai "Niew" Srisiriwilai
    Key Cast
    "Niew "
  • Yasuhiko Okuno
    Producer
  • Mayu Hirano
    Producer
  • Iikka Vehkalahti
    Associate Producers
  • Claudio Hughes
    Associate Producers
  • Paul Pauwels
    Associate Producers
  • Veradis Vinyaratn
    Executive Producers
  • Worawin Ratanasupawong
    Executive Producers
  • Karran Chaengchenkit
    Executive Producers
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Drama, Animal, Environmental Conservation
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 26 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 18, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    444,870 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Thailand
  • Country of Filming:
    Thailand
  • Language:
    English, Thai
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Koh Okuno, Mieko Saho

Koh Okuno is a 25-year-old Japanese storyteller who was raised in Thailand and educated in the Netherlands. After producing stories at the award-winning media collective "Are We Europe" in Brussels, he returned to Thailand to co-direct and produce Unspoken Souls, his first feature film, alongside his father and mother.

Mieko Saho is originally a journalist and works as a creative video director based in Chiang Mai for more than 20 years. With her partner Yasuhiko, she has produced many broadcast short documentaries for NHK World, spotlighting stories of sustainability, ethnic minority cultures, and social entrepreneurship in Thailand.

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Director Statement

Set in Thailand’s unique elephant tourism industry—where the livelihoods of humans and animals are deeply intertwined—Unspoken Souls gives voice to elephants whose intrinsic worth as living beings stands in conflict with their monetary value. Through Niew’s journey, audiences witness an ordinary Gen Z figure grappling with this moral dilemma. And through Lek’s resilience in the face of intensifying natural disasters that threaten her elephants, we confront the environmental consequences of choosing profit over life. Together, their stories reveal a deeper truth about the choices shaping our future.