Press release from Cory Thompson:
Caretakers of the last Northern White Rhino come together with filmmakers and friends to celebrate the Asheville premiere of an award-winning documentary, “Kifaru,” at an upcoming two-night event.
The film chronicles the lives of the rangers who fight to protect the rhino, as well as the 2018 death of Sudan – the last male of the species.
“The world felt his death,” James, a ranger with the Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya, said. “The only thing we can do now is share the lessons Sudan taught us with Asheville and the rest of the world. We can all be inspired to do better for the remaining rhinos, and the rest of the planet.”
The film, which debuts later this year, took two North Carolinian filmmakers over four years to produce. These filmmakers, David Hambridge and Andrew Brown, will be present with rangers and producers at a May 16 advance screening at the Fine Arts Theatre.
The film collected awards at five film festivals in the last three months, including at the Slamdance and Full Frame film festival.
The next night, May 17, both rangers and filmmakers will speak at an art exhibit at the Foundry Hotel. Their presentation will focus on the role of creativity in conservation and will be followed by a formal Q&A session. This event has no cost.
Art for the exhibit will be supplied by five-time Smithsonian exhibitor and “Kifaru” executive producer Benjamin Walls.
Walls’ art, which will hang in a Broadway St. gallery opening this Summer, feature scenes and stills from Africa and beyond.
The Asheville event joins five other cities in a conservation tour organized by Walls.
For more information visit the tour website – https://www.benjaminwalls.com/rhino
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