menu-home menu-films menu-people menu-oral-history menu-education menu-search menu-events menu-about
Corner Image
WildFilmHistory logo
WildFilmHistory » Home » Films » The Elephant, the Emperor and the Butterfly Tree

The Elephant, the Emperor and the Butterfly Tree  (2003)

A most extraordinary tree

Winner of the coveted Golden Panda at Wildscreen 2004, The Elephant, the Emperor and the Butterfly Tree is an intimate and absorbing portrayal of the complex ecosystem that exists around Africa's mopane woodland.

Set to an award-winning score and with an African narrator, Sello Maake, the film is an intriguing account of the impact each individual species has on its environment. Exploring the fragile relationship between the elephant, the emperor moth and the mopane tree, stunning cinematography brings to life the eternal triangle of destruction, struggle and rebirth.

Produced by Sean Morris of the world-renowned Oxford Scientific Films, impressive technical photography by award-winning cameraman Alastair MacEwen examines the wealth of creatures that rely on this important habitat. Broadcast as part of the BBC's The Natural World strand, this fifty minute programme details the interdependence of everything from resin bees to the local human population.

An intriguing celebration of a diverse and extensive ecosystem, The Elephant, the Emperor and the Butterfly Tree is beautifully filmed to the backdrop of Botswana's spectacular scenery.

Copyright holder

Copyright Holder: BBC - Natural History Unit
Address: c/o BBC Motion Gallery
Room E251
Woodlands
80 Wood Lane
London
W12 0TT
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8433 2861 / 2
Email: motiongallery.uk@bbc.co.uk
Website: http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com
Copyright Holder: Oxford Scientific Films Ltd.
Address: 47 Marylebone Lane
London
W1U 2NT
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7317 1330
Website: http://www.oxfordscientificfilms.com

Film credits

Series Editor: Mike Gunton
Photography: Alastair MacEwen
Producer: Alastair MacEwen
Writer: Sean Morris
Producer: Sean Morris
Film Editor: Charles Davies
Production Executive: Christina Hamilton
Narrator: Sello Maake
Photography: Mark MacEwen
Music: David Mitcham
Dubbing Editor: Glen Calder
Field Assistant: Christian Deschodt
Production: Janice Long
Production: Alexina Scurr
Associate Producer: Mags Lightbody
Production Manager: Annie Thomas
Executive Producer: Mark Strickson
Producer: Neil Curry
Production Company: Oxford Scientific Films Ltd.
Associated Broadcaster: BBC - Natural History Unit
Clips
A most extraordinary tree
A most extraordinary tree
A plague of caterpillars
A plague of caterpillars
Return of the worms
Return of the worms