The Elk

Where to watch · United States

Not on any service here yet.

The Elk (2026)

Directed by Erika Bolstad

Documentary · 30m

The Elk sculpture is a beloved icon in Portland, Oregon, but it was sidelined during the 2020 protests. Six years later, it returns, this time to a city and a nation divided over who or what belongs on a pedestal. As protest consumed Portland, Ore. in 2020, the city removed a beloved elk sculpture for safekeeping. Six years later, the elk is the first of the city's damaged monuments to return, and the only sculpture without controversy. But in a city that never really stopped protesting, people remain divided over why the elk went away—and what it means for the dinged-up but refurbished symbol to finally return. Set in an American city reckoning with its symbols of westward expansion, the unfolding fate of the elk and the other sculptures tells the story of a nation divided over who and what belongs on a pedestal.

Rate it first

No account needed. Others' takes stay sealed until you rate.

?/10

Cast

S
Sarah Gilbert Themselves
M
Maya Foty Themselves
D
Darion Jones Themselves
H
Henry Kunowski Themselves
S
Stephen Kafoury Themselves
B
Brian Libby Themselves
K
Kathleen Mahoney Themselves
T
Teressa Raiford Themselves
Z
Zane Sparling Themselves

Crew

Director
Erika Bolstad
Director of Photography
Zach Putnam
Editor
Lawrence Lerew
Producer
Erika Bolstad, Zach Putnam, Jen Tate, Jackie Weissman

Details

Release date
2026-04-18
Runtime
30m
Genres
Documentary
Original language
EN
Production
Making Monumental
Budget
$80