Abstract

The Elephant Never Forgets is a student-led documentary capturing the construction of the new London College of Communication building and the transportation of its surrounding community in Elephant and Castle. This project offers students hands-on experience in documentary filmmaking, storytelling, archive research, and project management. Involving students at every stage—from production and through interviews, visuals, and local archives, students will explore themes of change, identity, and place. The project fosters practical skills, creative expression, and deeper engagement with both LCC’s evolving identity and the wider local community.

Session and activities

We propose a 20-minute presentation of The Elephant Never Forgets, a collaborative documentary project that explores the transformation of the London College of Communication and the surrounding Elephant and Castle area. This session will be co-presented by Dr Fotis Begklis Director and  producer of the film, and the two student filmmakers involved in the project, offering insights into their practical contributions and creative processes.

The documentary focuses on the ongoing construction of LCC’s new buildings, using this transformation as a lens to explore broader themes of change, memory, and identity within the local community. Through interviews, visual storytelling, and archive research, students have been deeply involved in every aspect of the production—researching historical materials, filming the building site, and capturing stories from local residents, key members of the contsruction team and architects of the building

This presentation will showcase how students have taken ownership of key production roles—developing storylines, managing interviews, editing sequences, and shaping the project’s visual identity. Their participation extends beyond filmmaking to building community relationships, learning to work ethically and responsively with local voices.

We will reflect on the collaborative workflow and the challenges and rewards of managing a student-led team. Students will speak to how this experiential project has expanded their skills in storytelling, teamwork, and social engagement—offering a powerful model for practice-based learning that bridges education, art, and activism.

The Elephant Never Forgets is not only a film; it’s a living learning experience that connects students with the social fabric of their environment and allows them to engage in a meaningful creative response to place. This presentation offers a unique opportunity to share that process, celebrate the student’s achievements, and reflect on how storytelling and engagement with the local community can be a powerful platform to develop new connections and unique learning opportunities.