GCC was honored to be hosted on the 13th June by United for Wildlife, Prince William’s initiative to fight the illegal wildlife trade, for an exclusive private screening of RHINO MAN at the newly restored Battersea Power Station in London. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Edinburgh were in attendance, along with 150 leading figures in conservation, government, and finance.
RHINO MAN is GCC’s feature-length documentary that tells the story of the courageous field rangers who risk their lives every day to protect South Africa’s rhinos from being poached to extinction. The film centers on dear friend and late GCC Technical Advisor, Anton Mzimba, who was murdered in a targeted hit on July 26th, 2022.
John Jurko, Lead Director of RHINO MAN kicked off the evening by sharing his vision for the film and why it is imperative that Anton’s legacy and story is told around the world: “Through their personal stories, their trials and tribulations, their sacrifices for something bigger than themselves, I hope people will be deeply moved. Not only to support the rangers’ important work, but to aid in the greater efforts to bring down crime syndicates and to inspire a generation who seeks to live in harmony with nature. That was Anton’s dream. It is our job to pick up his torch and carry it forward.”
The illegal trade of rhino horn typifies the international illegal wildlife trade, which is estimated to generate $20 billion annually and is associated with violent crime, corruption and other forms of trafficking. United for Wildlife, founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, was established to disrupt this transnational organized crime and make it impossible for traffickers to transport, finance, or profit from illegal wildlife products.
Matt Lindenberg, Michelle Morgridge, Justin Walker, and other GCC team members, friends and supporters were also in attendance. We were honored to be joined by Orlat Ndlovu, Anton’s close friend and Head of Ranger Services at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, who gave a rousing speech to attendees before the film started. Leitah Mkhabela, Anton’s cousin and ranger with the Black Mambas, shared her unique conservation stories and memories of Anton with the attendees and special delegates. Our long-time partners from the Southern African Wildlife College and The Thin Green Line Foundation were also present to share their support and excitement for the film’s completion.
“In the last year, the film has taken on new meaning for me. It’s become my mission to make sure Anton’s legacy lives on through RHINO MAN, both a film and a podcast created to highlight these heroic conservationists, and through the work of GCC,” John said. “I want to thank His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and United for Wildlife for all of their support over this last year. They have given us a platform to share the rangers’ stories and that of our dear friend, Anton. We hope this private screening in London will be a catalyst for more awareness as we unveil our completed film to the world. We hope this story inspires members of the United for Wildlife community to continue their efforts to bring an end to the illegal wildlife trade.”
The screening also coincided with the launch of the RHINO MAN social impact campaign, the goal of which is to fund, train, acknowledge, and raise the profile of rangers around the world through educating the public, providing training and support to new and current rangers, and providing support to the families of fallen rangers.
“We are working diligently to ensure as many people as possible will have the opportunity to watch this impassioned ode to the rangers. We hope viewers will take their newfound awareness and channel it toward action.”
Read more about the private screening here
