Warren Ellis has spoken to NME about co-founding an animal sanctuary in Indonesia with activist Femke den Haas and the “life-changing” experience of making a documentary about it.
During lockdown, frequent Nick Cave collaborator, longtime Bad Seed and Dirty Three member Warren Ellis announced that he was opening an animal sanctuary in Sumatra, Indonesia after purchasing acres of land next to the existing Sumatra Wildlife Centre. While the Wildlife Centre was dedicated to rehabilitating and eventually returning injured animals back into the wild, Ellis Park was designed to be a “forever home” for those creatures that can never be released due to the injuries they’ve sustained from maltreatment by humans.
Directed by Justin Kurzel, (Nitram, Assassin’s Creed), the accompanying documentary follows Ellis as he visits Ellis Park and meets co-founder Femke den Haas for the first time.
“Ultimately, it’s a story of hope. Here are some people trying to do their best and take a situation that they’re not even responsible for into their own hands. That’s so commendable,” Ellis told NME via video chat from his London home.
Rather than a straightforward film about the horrific illegal wildlife trade that’s rife in Sumatra and the people who’ve dedicated their lives to fighting it, Ellis Park also explores Warren’s upbringing and career so far.
“I’ve been involved in documentaries before, including the one Nick [Cave] made about his [late] son Arthur, but I’ve never been the focus before. That was terrifying,” Ellis explained. “Usually with art, being uncomfortable is the sign that you’re in a good spot but this was a very different kind of uncomfortable.”
Ellis clashed with Kurzel several times and even tried to get the project scrapped but eventually let the director pursue his vision. “We needed people to see why I cared [about Ellis Park] for them to care.”
In between visiting Sumatra and returning to the studio to finish the score for the documentary, Ellis suffered a breakdown and was eventually prescribed anti-depressants. “I was separating from my wife, my dad was dying… there was this tsunami of shit that had built up over the years, predominantly through my own actions, but I just kept working, thinking: ‘I’ll deal with that later’.”
“Making this documentary changed my life,” he continued. “It was the inevitable catalyst for an apocalyptic breakdown but it’s also taught me to address things as soon as you can. It’s not about making monsters out of people, it’s about taking control of your own life.”
Hey Warren – what actually made you want to get involved in an animal sanctuary with someone you’d never met before?
“Throughout my career, I’ve generally gone into things rather naively because understanding kills your desire to do things. If I’d really thought about if I could do the music for a film, I would have said ‘no’. But I’ve always just jumped in and figured things out later. If someone had actually explained I’d need like 40,000 euros a year to run this [park] alongside everything else that’s come with it, I might have had second thoughts…”
What made you say yes to donating money and time?
“It was really all about trust. Femke has dedicated her life to helping these animals and she’s just so inspiring. She reminded me of an indie band running on pure belief and I could relate to that, having grown up in the early ‘90s with the Dirty Three. It’s all about going out there and just doing the work. There were all these overwhelming odds and maybe someone with more sense would say ‘forget it’ but she was determined. I met her on Zoom and within 30 seconds, I could tell she was the real deal.”
What was it like visiting Ellis Park for the first time?
“It’s a beautiful part of the world but it’s so dangerous. The money that exchanges hands for animal trafficking is up there with drug smuggling. The people working at Ellis Park are real heroes and it’s an honour to be involved with them.
“I went there thinking we were making a film about animals and the abuse they’d suffered. I came away realising humans are the most incredible creatures when we put our minds to it. The sanctuary is just full of people trying to correct injustices. There’s something about those kinds of selfless acts that are just inspiring. There’s good and evil in all of us but when we get it right, we’re extraordinary.”
Were you expecting the documentary to get so personal?
“Not at all. For most of my career, work has given me a way of avoiding the realities of life. I originally met [director] Justin [Kurzel] at the Cannes Film Festival and told him my original plan, which was to take a 3ft tall marble statue of Nina Simone’s chewing gum [Ellis’ good luck charm and the title of this bestselling memoir] to Ellis Park. He wanted to make a film about that, before we both realised how gross an idea that was. It set things in motion though. He presented a draft that I didn’t read, and explained we needed some of my backstory. My better judgement told me not to go there and it is a real deep dive, but being honest in my creative efforts has always been the most important thing.”
The documentary was a catalyst for a breakdown – any regrets?
“I’m really glad I did it. The prime reason for doing it was to shine a light on the people at Ellis Park and the work they’re doing – and that is what the film is about. But in order to get there, I had to go places that I didn’t think I would have. It’s not a hero’s journey or anything like that though, it’s just life.”
Have you learned anything from being involved in Ellis Park?
“It showed me the extraordinary community of people that follow my music. I knew I had to go public to see if I could get some support [for Ellis Park] but I was worried about how that might look, especially because people were very critical about the motivations behind certain causes during lockdown. But the fans were incredible, and we got it up and running very quickly.
“They were the first to offer to help, alongside people I work with such as Nick and (Red Hot Chili Peppers’) Flea. [The bassist encouraged Ellis to get involved with the park, so Ellis named a pair a meerkats after him and his wife as a thank you]. I’d spoken to a few different companies and they told me that times were too hard and they couldn’t do it, so we decided to keep things close. The role model was the Dirty Three – when we started [my bandmates] Mick [Turner], Jim [White] and I just took care of everything ourselves. To this day, I don’t have a manager.”
Any plans to return?
“Yeah, I will go back. I want to go without a camera and the expectation that came with that, but they’re fine without me. They’re really good people and they just do their own thing, which is the heart and soul of the whole place. The best thing I can do is create awareness and go out to work so they can keep buying bananas [for the animals].”
‘Ellis Park’ is out September 26 in UK cinemas. A handful of screenings will feature a Q&A with Warren Ellis with proceeds going to Ellis Park – head here for more details.