Askari

"Torn between emotion and reason, a family becomes as threatened as the elephants themselves"

2001 1h 25m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 3

DramaFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Set on a game reserve in Africa. Askari is an angry old elephant, the only survivor of the "A' family group which has been anhilitated in a government cull and he has turned rogue. Involved in the culling are Patrick Khumalo, a corrupt government official and Ribshaw, an unscrupulous white poacher accompanied by Ndhlovu, an old African tracker who is being blackmailed by Ribshaw. Anxious to save the elephants are game warden Joss Mckinley and his conservationist wife Paula who is studying and monitoring various family groups of elephants. When Paula's sixteen year old niece Emma Crawshay is orphaned she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at Morena Game Park. She feels alienated but is gradually drawn into her aunt's passion for her work and her favourite elephant family the 'O' group, in particular a calf named Ollie.

“Torn between emotion and reason, a family becomes as threatened as the elephants themselves”

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Cast

Marlee Matlin
Paula McKinley
C. Thomas Howell
Joss Mckinley
Amanda Fuller
Emma Crawshay
Ian Roberts
Ripshaw
Ken Gampu
Ndhlovu
Brendan Pollecutt
Russell Earnshaw
Menzi Ngubane
Patrick Khumalo
Setlhabi Jacob Taunyane
Elmon Ntini

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Lister
Writers: Ashley Way, John Cundill

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Lister, shot by Fred Tammes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Thomas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Wayne Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marlee Matlin and C. Thomas Howell and Amanda Fuller carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Torn between emotion and reason, a family becomes as threatened as the elephants themselves".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0284769 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Lister directs. Fred Tammes behind the camera. Mark Thomas scores. Wayne Smith cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by David Lister, shot by Fred Tammes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mark Thomas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Wayne Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Marlee Matlin and C. Thomas Howell and Amanda Fuller carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Torn between emotion and reason, a family becomes as threatened as the elephants themselves".
8IMDB entry: tt0284769 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.