Elephant (2003 film)

Elephant
Elephant
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gus Van Sant
Written by	Gus Van Sant
Produced by	Diane Keaton; Dany Wolf; JT LeRoy
Starring	Alex Frost; Eric Deulen; John Robinson
Cinematography	Harris Savides
Edited by	Gus Van Sant
Production; company	Meno Film Company
Distributed by	Fine Line Features; HBO Films
Release dates	May 2003 (Cannes); October 24, 2003 (United States);
Running time	81 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million
Box office	$10 million

Elephant is a 2003 American psychological drama film written, directed and edited by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in Watt High School, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting, based in part on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The film begins a short time before the shooting occurs, following the lives of several characters both in and out of school, who are unaware of what is about to unfold. The film stars mostly new actors, including John Robinson, Alex Frost, and Eric Deulen.

Elephant is the second film in Van Sant's "Death Trilogy"—the first is Gerry (2002) and the third Last Days (2005)—all three of which are based on actual events.

Although Elephant was controversial for its subject matter and allegations of influence on the Red Lake shootings, it was generally praised by critics and received the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.^[3]

^ "Elephant". The Numbers. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ "Elephant". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
^ The Indie Filmmaking Genius of Gus Van Sant | The VICE Guide To Film - VICE on YouTube.

[numbers-1] "Elephant". The Numbers. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[boxofficemojo.com-2] "Elephant". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 June 2017.

[3] The Indie Filmmaking Genius of Gus Van Sant | The VICE Guide To Film - VICE on YouTube.

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