Skip to contentSkip to navigation
Elephant (English with French subtitles)
Location
Main screening room
Date
May 21st, 2026
Duration
81 min
Cycle
Palmes d'or

Drawing primarily from our 35mm collection, we are presenting an exquisite spring bouquet of Palme d’or winners to coincide with the can’t-miss Cannes Film Festival.

Winner of the Palme d'or and the Best Director Award, 2003 Cannes Film Festival

Elephant
Directed by
Gus Van Sant
Language
English with French Subtitles
Actors
Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson
Origins
USA
Year
2003
Duration
81 min
Genre
Crime, drama, thriller
Format
35 mm
Synopsis

At Columbine High School, the 1,900 students go about their usual activities. It seems like an ordinary day, and yet tragedy is brewing.

Elephant
Awards
On voit dans Elephant « le même principe de mise en scène qu’un jeu vidéo : des inconnus qui marchent longuement, et finissent par tuer quelqu’un sans raison apparente. Une marche meurtrière traitée comme un leitmotiv obsédant. »
Gus Van Sant
2003

Gus Van Sant

Gus Van Sant is an American director, screenwriter, producer, editor, photographer, and musician. He spent much of his life in Portland, Oregon, a city that serves as the backdrop for many of his films. After starting out as an independent filmmaker, notably with My Own Private Idaho (1991), he moved closer to Hollywood with commissioned films like To Die For (1995) and the Academy Award winner Good Will Hunting (1997). He then returned to a cinema far from financial pressures and artistically independent, including Elephant (2003), loosely inspired by the Columbine massacre (Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival), and Last Days (2005), which depicts his vision of Kurt Cobain's final days. His career took another turn in 2008 with Milk (2008), a very personal yet popular film. It won several Academy Awards and was a great commercial success.

Explore

About Gus Van Sant
Filmography
Open