APPROACHING THE ELEPHANT

Documentary - 2014 - USA - English - 89 minutes

In the small town of Little Falls, New Jersey, the 262nd free school opens its doors for the fall semester.  The school is run by ambitious director Alex Khost, whose idealism of a new education system is tested by a defiant student, determined to upend the rules and possibly the school itself. Director Amanda Rose Wilder captures the volatilizing energy that builds through this turbulent first year.

Directed by Amanda Wilder

Produced by Jay Craven, Robert Greene, Amanda Wilder

Official Selection: True/False Film Festival, BAM CinemaFest

Praise: 

"Approaching The Elephant belong[s] on any list of the year's great docs...strikes a perfect balance between vérité immediacy and reflective abstraction."--Sam Adams, IndieWire

"Riveting...This is social interaction in its purest form.  Grade: A-"--Ben Kenigsberg, AV Club