‘The Last Ranger’ Tells True Story Of Fight To Save Rhinos In South Africa: “We Had Something Special” – Contenders Film: The Nominees

deadline.com:

The Last Ranger tells the true story of Thandi, a rhino that survived a brutal attack, and the people who fought to save her life.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Amakhala Game Reserve in South Africa, Kushelwa (Avumile Qongqo) is the last remaining ranger, and the Cindy Lee-directed movie nominated for an Oscar in the Live Action Short Film category follows her and her young, would-be protégé Litha (Liyabona Mroqoza) as they are caught up in the rhino-poaching crisis.

During a panel discussion at Deadline’s Contenders: The Nominees event, Lee said this story felt incredibly important to show the world. “The whole thing with the rhino poaching is really, really devastating,” she said. “And it’s quite surprising to know outside of South Africa, how few people are really aware of what’s going on in South Africa.

That one rhino is poached every 15 hours and that the rangers are losing their lives. Nothing is really being done to curb that.” Lee also noted that the film is “uniquely South African” and that “it’s told in one of the 11 official languages [Xhosa].