Elephants & Squirrels

Elephants & Squirrels is a documentary that follows a Sri Lankan artist who finds a collection of cultural objects and human remains belonging to the Wanniyala-Aetto indigenous community in Switzerland. These items were taken to Basel in the early 1900s by Swiss naturalists. After a previous request for their return was denied in the 1970s, the artist works with the community chief to seek the restitution of the artifacts. The story tracks the bureaucratic challenges and the long process of dealing with official authorities to bring the remains and items home.

The film was directed and written by Gregor Brändli and produced by Frank Matter. It was a production of SRF and soap factory in Switzerland. Released on March 12, 2026, the documentary has a runtime of 114 minutes.