The Last White Rhino
Short Film
2024
The Northern White Rhino is a Rhino subspecies native to Central and East Africa. Their extremely valuable horns have made them targets for poaching, and as a result, their dwindling population is guarded 24/7 by armed guards. Only two remaining Northern White Rhinos exist, a mother and daughter named Najin and Fatu. As both are female, the species has been declared functionally extinct.
Our story
takes place in a fictional near-future; one where the world’s sociopolitical structures have fallen apart, including the group tasked with protecting the White Rhinos. In their absence, a mysterious vigilante group has risen to continue this work, who are almost religiously devoted to protecting Fatu—the one remaining White Rhino.
The Last White Rhino
Why tell this story?
At the heart of the story of the Northern White Rhino lies an intriguing question: How do we protect what we have already doomed?
At a time when global warming and the forthcoming end of humanity seem more certain with every passing year, this is a pertinent inquiry. Daily we find ourselves torn between contradictory impulses: to make meaningful global change or to live a meaningful small life; to seize the land we feel entitled to or to humble ourselves before its nature; to hold someone accountable for Earth’s demise or to know our own complicity.
What does it mean to protect our planet?
Our dilemma is too vast to comprehend, but on the Ugandan plains these same issues play out on a smaller scale. There are the poachers who choose to serve their own needs, the guards who seek to serve a higher cause, and at the center of it all: The Last White Rhino.
Credits -
The Last White Rhino
A Film by Giant Ant
Written & Directed by Conor Whelan
Producer: Cory Philpott
Art Direction: Eric Pautz
Design: Eric Pautz, Sophia Ouellette, Rafael Mayani
Cel Animation Direction: Sitji Chou
Animation: Sitji Chou, Louis Roba, Fabio Valesini, Esther Cheung, Alex Murphy, Diego Maclean, Duncan Patterson, Conor Whelan, Joan Chung,
Compositing: Conor Whelan, Alex Murphy, Duncan Patterson, Diego Maclean
Music & Sound Design: Ochre Swim
Special Thanks: Jay Grandin, Teresa Toews
Produced with support from BUCK