Hollywood Director Kathryn Bigelow Unveils Achingly Sad PSA About Elephant Poaching

Why she made this animated short instead of a film

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The ivory trade isn't just killing elephants. Humans are the victims, too, because poaching helps to fund terrorist organizations like al-Shabaab and Boko Haram.

That's the message of Last Days, a three-minute film by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, best known for the features Zero Dark Thirty and Hurt Locker. Produced in conjunction with WildAid and Annapurna Pictures, Last Days ranks among the year's most provocative PSAs. Its atmosphere is heartbreaking, and there's some disturbing imagery.

Bigelow uses simple, cut-out-style animation to tell a complex story in reverse chronological order.

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