Brighton Student’s Short Film Nabs PETA Award for Stunning CGI Elephant

For Immediate Release:

14 June 2016

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222, [email protected]

BRIGHTON STUDENT’S SHORT FILM NABS PETA AWARD FOR STUNNING CGI ELEPHANT

Computer-Generated Animal Shows How Unnecessary It Is to Exploit Real Animals, Points to a Progressive and Kind Future in Film Industry

Brighton– Courtesy of PETA, an Innovation in Film Award is on its way to Brighton native Zak Boxall for Bertie the Elephant. The short film, made with a fellow student for their final-year project at Hertfordshire University, shows the potential of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to capture the charm and majesty of animals – while proving that the use of abused captive animals for film is obsolete.

Boxall 23, said he aimed to capture “the beauty and innocence of a living elephant … without the use of a real elephant”. And he has done just that.

“Truly creative, forward-thinking directors like these young men know that the future of film lies in technical wizardry and not in beating animals into performing”, says PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi. “PETA is calling on directors and producers throughout the entertainment industry to follow in their progressive footsteps.”

Animals exploited for film and TV can experience extreme stress and weakened immune systems from travel and handling, are denied everything that is natural and important to them, and frequently end up in filthy roadside zoos or other cruel, captive environments once their fifteen minutes of “fame” are up.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – notes that as technology progresses and filmmakers learn how animals suffer in the entertainment industry, the use of digital depictions is increasing. PETA US previously recognised the stunning CGI used in such films as Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes as well as The Jungle Book.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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