Festival Cinema Ambiente took place in Torino, Italy, from 4-9 June 2024 in its usual festive manner, with multiple cinematic, literary, and even culinary offerings to reach out to and inspire people about climate issues. Unfortunately, a dark cloud hovered over the 27th edition of Cinemambiente this year. No one could deny the void felt due to the festival’s missing founder and director of 26 years, Gaetano Capizzi, who passed away in October 2023. Tributes were made throughout the festival to the gentle leader who created a visionary film festival before environmentalism became a prevalent theme in life and filmmaking.
In addition to creating and expanding Cinemambiente into one of the premier examples of thematic programming, Capizzi built an innovative and inspired team that has collaborated in running this vibrant festival for many years. Despite missing Gaetano’s folksy and casual but impassioned imprint, they continued this year. As Lia Furxhi, the festival’s new director and longtime programmer, stated, “We want to make sure that this edition proceeds wholeheartedly with the spirit of the festival created by Gaetano Capizzi, particularly regarding what has always been his quality and his strength: documentary and scientific rigor. More recently, Gaetano wasn’t only focused on the topics addressed that were obviously fundamental, but also on the quality of the films. In addition, the goal is to be able to continuously involve more new people, not only those who have already ‘converted’ to environmentalism but also those who are simply sensitive to the issues of the future that await us on our planet.”
Like Capizzi’s ongoing pursuit of reaching out to new and young people and helping raise awareness about the environment through film and discussion, the documentary Rhino Man explores the importance of hope and engaging with youth. The film is a series of interconnected stories about rhinoceros poaching at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa, the training of rangers at the Southern African Wildlife College, and numerous courageous people involved in the rhinos’ continued existence.
Moreover, Rhino Man is about grief, dealing with loss, and facing the inevitability of losing, in this case, the rhinos and their dedicated protectors, the rangers. Grief was felt at this year’s Cinemambiente as spectators and participants navigated the event without its hands-on director, who was always omnipresent at the venue with his affable manner, a smile, or some words of encouragement. Then again, isn’t being active in environmentalism a bit like being in continuous grief? We constantly mourn the loss of our natural resources, plants and animals, and the declining quality of our air and water. It is an ongoing state of awareness that vital elements we love and need are disappearing, and they continue to leave us. Rhino Man grapples with such loss but also shows the power of passion and how that intensity can affect and improve lives and nature.
John Jurko II, the director of Rhino Man, came to Torino to present his film in the international documentary section, participate in a panel, and discuss what went into making this film. Before the evening screening, he told the audience, “This is a very personal project; it comes from the heart. I hope it touches you and moves you to also take action.” The next day, we met, and he explained how he got involved in this doc that took him on a journey lasting about nine years.
Jurko II (director / producer / cinematographer) mostly collaborated with Matt Lindenberg (director / producer), who is the founder and executive director of the Global Conservation Corps (GCC), a non-profit working to bring communities and wildlife together. Lindenberg spent years at the Southern African Wildlife College training rangers and started Rhino Man “to honor his late mentor and ranger Martin Mthembu and to bring awareness and support to the rangers.” To hear Jurko tell the story, he and Lindenberg became close friends quickly, and they worked diligently, each using his expertise, to eventually bring this project to light.
The route to directing his first “real” documentary that he “felt proud of” was unusual. Jurko came onto the Rhino Man project in 2018 after studying film production and philosophy and working in the camera department of various indie films. This was nearly three years after it had begun as a short film by Friendly Human, an innovative Atlanta-based agency that provides advertising services. Viewing the short, Jurko noted, “There were all these beautiful vignettes of rangers, rhinos, and little different stories tied together by a theme. But there wasn’t a story arc. I suggested we sit down and figure out how to flush out this story. At that point, we wrote out on index cards, trying to create an arc, and we focused on Anton (Mzimba, head of Ranger Services at Timbavati Reserve) and Ruben (de Kock, Divisional Operations Manager at the Southern African Wildlife College) because they had a lot of content.”
Shortly afterward, Juko and Lindenberg headed to South Africa to film a session of the ranger selection process, which was taking place with Ruben and his wife, Marianne de Kock. “I just showed up there with Matt, and it was just us two. I was shooting, and he was running audio. We were co-producing and directing it. We shot the whole selection process of the rangers in those first five days. Then, we started working with Anton to flesh out his story. Through that process, I became more connected to the project, and we started developing and using funds to hire an outside editor.”
The documentary draws the viewer into the lives of the rangers, those who train them, the trainees, and various others dedicated to helping, healing, and protecting rhinos that are killed for their horns. One cannot help feeling compassion for these helpless animals and a deep respect for those whose sense of commitment goes beyond most any job requirement. “Everyone in that space is passionate about the work. That’s why I wanted to focus on that community the most and those connections between Ruben, Martin, and Anton. I insisted on bringing Ruben in on that story as well because I think so much of it is this community that is coming together to solve these extremely daunting problems.”
Through a series of interviews, voiceovers, field shots, and archival material of Mthembu, one learns of the toughness of these gentle people. The rangers are required to be disciplined, motivated, and strong. They go through a grueling selection process including carrying and pulling makeshift weights made from found boulders, symbolic of the burden they will have of protecting the rhinos. Ruben de Kock describes what is required of the trainees: “You need certain characteristics: honesty, loyalty, and teamwork.”
Coming in as a director on a film that already had many chefs stirring the broth, if you will, was a delicate process. There was the Friendly Human agency in addition to Lindenberg and his non-profit, Global Conservation Corps. Lindenberg started it after ranger trainer Martin Mthembu tragically died in an auto accident in 2014. GCC’s mission statement is “conserving wildlife through the education, development and training of people. Poaching is not a wildlife issue – it’s a human issue. It’s a symptom of a much bigger human condition that we find ourselves in.” Yet Jurko is a sensitive team player and was able to navigate the multiple messages and people involved.
“Matt had certain objectives with the non-profit, wanting to tell its story and raise awareness about the rangers. He was also moving more toward focusing on youth and education. But I wanted to try to balance that and make sure this film could express the call for action of the GCC. I didn’t want it to just be a piece of publicity. I wanted it to stand on its own and move people enough to get them involved with the non-profit.” He underlines, “It was the human connections that inspired me. I came to the project from the film world, not conservation.”
Another talent that Jurko pulled from his skill set that shines in Rhino Man is his ability and affection for podcasting. “I have always been interested in podcasting and love those long-form, interview-style conversational ones.” The format proved to be a means for promoting the film and, unexpectedly, for some fundraising. “I was getting to a certain point in the film; I was thinking about distribution and how we would get it out there. There were also other organizations that we were trying to connect to and get support from. I thought, why don’t I do this thing that I already like doing, which is podcasting, and try to use it to elevate the story around the film, get people connected to it, and then speak with some people we were trying to talk to?” His enthusiasm is heard in his voice, which lends itself to the audio medium.
Jurko continues, “I began by just doing it with people we were very close with to work the kinks out. From there, I started reaching out to everyone within the ranger/rhino/conservation community. Once I had certain people, that helped generate more interviews. Everyone knows everyone, as it’s a pretty small circle. I was podcasting almost weekly and building a decent little audience within that community for a while. It’s been an interesting way to help the film get out there.
“I became friends with some of these people, and, down the road, they put some money into [Rhino Man]. In this way, [podcasting] was a fascinating back door into fundraising.” Furthermore, he explains how Prince William and his organization, United for Wildlife, reached out to them after hearing one of the podcast episodes with Anton. “They found out about us, and then we started building that relationship. The podcast did a lot for us.”
Something difficult to understand is what goes on behind the poaching and what the poachers seek in the rhinoceros horn. Having spent a lot of time in South Africa and many hours getting to know the ranger/rhino/conservation community, Jurko II is well-versed in the subject. “The demand for the horn mostly comes from China and Vietnam. Traditionally, the rhino horn was used in Chinese medicine, but it has become a status symbol over time. The horn is carved into art pieces or is considered an investment. Folks, especially in that part of the world, started to grow economically, and a strong middle and upper class began to prosper. Suddenly, there was money available to make these kinds of purchases.”
Many poacher travel beyond their borders. “Almost all the Asian rhinos have been poached out. India and Nepal still have a decent amount of greater white horn rhinos, but Java and Sumatra are down to less than 100 each. It’s debatable whether they will make it as a species.” Indeed, poaching started filtering down into parts of Africa “in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, eventually coming for South Africa.” In addition to this wave, poachers in these parts of Africa are the dire economic and social situations the people face. “The unemployment rate is close to fifty percent, and 3-4 million people live there. There’s a lot of corruption within the government on every level, including government, rangers, and police. Corruption and pressure exist because of the economics in the region, so basically, they’ve created a cartel type of situation.”
As a result, desperate individuals with some military training are often lured into poaching rings. In Rhino Man. there is a scene where two men are captured in the back of a car after shooting at the rhinos. They seem to shiver and shrink, far from the image of gun-slinging big game hunters, as the authorities question them. Rhino Man is kaleidoscopic in its approach as it explains the many facets of the problem while sharing a vision for the future. In this way, it pieces together the puzzle, mixing heartfelt, on-camera testimonies by and about rangers, intense hand-held filming of training sessions, devastating shots of dead and wounded rhinos, and a series of voice-overs talking about what lies ahead and getting young people involved.
With so much desperation among the local people and the poachers encroaching on rhinos’ territories, the animals’ preservation has become a critical situation that requires an unwavering commitment to the future. Thus, the part GCC plays in Rhino Man, its role as a social impact partner, and its allegiance to education, training, and support are impressive. GCC is involved in “demand reduction, which means working in Asia and other countries to get laws and a change in culture around these types of wildlife crimes and products. In parts of South Africa, giving ownership to the local communities of these spaces and helping to reconnect them with wildlife is essential.
“GCC also works on the future rangers program, and a big part of that is conservation education, getting kids into the reserves, and seeing the wildlife for the first time.” Jurko’s eyes light up as he describes GCC’s impact, especially on kids. He reiterates the conservation corps’ participation in “actually creating opportunities, such as economic opportunities so that the locals don’t have to poach to feed their families. They can have real careers and job opportunities. These environmental-related problems are extremely daunting because they are so interconnected with our societies and all these other problems. We’ll always deal with such huge, complex problems, and we must keep going. We can’t lose hope, and we can make a difference. Things do change.”
Regrettably, something did change radically in the documentary. In July 2022, Rhino Man was essentially wrapping. Jurko was back in Atlanta and was “literally getting the final sound mixes.” He was constantly in touch with and asked him to re-record some parts where the sound wasn’t good. They discussed plans to screen Rhino Mann in the fall in South Africa with the team. Sometime before these summer exchanges, Anton mentioned that he was being threatened. Death threats are often part of the ranger’s job. People receiving them frequently go into hiding and consult with the police, but the threats come and go.
In Anton’s case, by July, things seemed to have calmed down, and “then somewhere during that week or two when I had put off some sound work is when he was killed. It just sent us down this whole crazy path. Those voice messages we put in [Rhino Man], were sent to me. I was in Atlanta, and we always communicated.” Jurko and his team were devasted. The expression on his face changes as he discusses learning of the death of his friend, and his voice slows down. “I didn’t know what was the right thing to do. It took time to process Anton’s death and reconnect with people. I didn’t want to exploit the situation in any way, especially as a friend. We’re close to his team and family as well.”
Anton Mzimba gets a lot of screen time in Rhino Man and speaks eloquently throughout the doc about his work, responsibility, and passion. “His deep commitment can be understood in his words. “It’s our job to inspire the next generations of rangers, custodians, and leaders of the nation,” he says. “I believe if the youth can connect with wildlife like I have, they will stand up and fight to protect it. So until the next generation is ready to take the reins, we will remain steadfast. This is our calling. This is our mission. This is our legacy.”
While watching Rhino Man, it feels like Mzimba has a sense of his impending death. “It’s important to see that no one part of this can have hope on its own,” says Jurok. “It’s about the bigger picture. Anton always used to say, ‘The rangers are buying us time but it’s what we do with our time, it’s this time that matters.’ The rangers are a short-term defense; otherwise, the rhinos would be gone in a matter of months.”
Eventually, additional scenes were shot in South Africa, and the final edit was made to release Rhino Man in 2023. It is now on the film festival circuit, and as of 26 July, the second anniversary of Anton’s death, Rhino Man was released on several platforms, including Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Vimeo. John Jurko, Matt Lindenberg, two rangers, and Ruben and Marianne de Kock also participate in some screenings, talks, and international presentations.
Rhino Man‘s messages about hope and the future parallel those of Cinemambiente’s founder Gaetano Capizzi, who said in an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, “Young people are the ones who will find the results of climate change on their shoulders, but they are also the generation that will be able to make radical choices and decisions that prior generations didn’t have the courage to face.”