Elefante blanco

White Elephant

In a poverty-stricken and dangerous slum in Buenos Aires, two deeply respected Catholic priests take very different paths in their struggle against violence, corruption and injustice.

This hard hitting movie, from one of Latin America’s most talented directors Pablo Trapero, centres on two dedicated priests, the Argentinian Father Julian and the Belgian Father Nicholas, battling with cautious church leaders and corrupt politicians to serve their slum parish while trying to keep the peace between rival drug gangs. Together they fight to resolve the issues of the neighbourhood’s society.

The film's title comes from the gigantic abandoned hospital that dominates the area, known as the 'white elephant', where the homeless camp and drug-dealers ply their trade. The film was inspired by the true story of Father Mugica, an Argentinian priest and activist.

Pablo Trapero, born October 1971, is an Argentinian film producer, editor and director and is considered to be one of the biggest creative forces in Latin American cinema. In 2002, he opened his production company, Matanza Cine, that produces films for fellow filmmakers as well as his own. Several of his features have premiered at Cannes - Elefante Blanco was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2012.

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