Rhinoceros are of particular value for their horns, primarily demanded for their anecdotal medicinal value and as a symbol of wealth. The film shows people who risk their lives on a daily basis protecting the collapsing species. This includes a Zulu bush tracker; the world’s largest private rhino owner; a front-line anti-poaching unit; a school for children displaced by poaching; and a veterinarian guiding dehorning programmes in order to remove the hunting incentive. At the centre of the film are the last remaining rhinoceros whose fragile presence remind us how interconnected we all are.
The film was primarily funded by Mark Halliday [Director] in his conservation efforts that stemmed from Ray Dearlove and The Australian Rhino Project. The film premiered on 21 March 2018 at The Randwick Ritz, with the entire 677 seat theatre selling out. Three days prior to the screening, the world's last surviving male northern white rhino Sudan passed away.
Film Director George Miller joined us at the premiere and - with his permission to share - later wrote to Mark, "Vestige is such a moving experience. Like all powerful stories, it transcends the immediate subject matter to become an allegory about the sorrow and majesty of all who inhabit this world.”
The film was supported by Documentary Australia Foundation and screened at Raindance Film Festival and Transitions Film Festival before being signed into distribution with Journeyman Pictures [UK] realeasing online with Amazon Prime among other streamers.
Mark Halliday [Director], Emma Hudson [Producer], Sid Tinney [Cinematographer], Adam Shean [Editor], Edward Macdonald [Composer]