Latest news with #TheLastRanger
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cindy Lee, Director Of Oscar-Nominated Live-Action Short ‘The Last Ranger,' Signs With Luber Roklin
EXCLUSIVE: Cindy Lee, director of the Oscar-nominated 2025 live-action short The Last Ranger, has signed with Luber Roklin Entertainment for management. The South African filmmaker's The Last Ranger is inspired by the true story of Thandi, a rhino that survived a brutal attack, and the people who fought to save her life. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Amakhala Game Reserve, the film follows Khuselwa (Avumile Qongqo), the reserve's last remaining ranger, and her young, would-be protégé Litha (Liyabona Mroqoza), as they are caught up in the rhino-poaching crisis. The film was co-written by David S. Lee, Darwin Shaw and Will Hawkes, with the latter two producing under their Six Feet Films banner. More from Deadline 'The Last Ranger' Tells True Story Of Fight To Save Rhinos In South Africa: 'We Had Something Special' – Contenders Film: The Nominees 'The Monkey's Colin O'Brien Signs With Luber Roklin Madelaine Petsch To Exec Produce, Star In Amazon MGM Rom-Com 'Maintenance Required'; Jacob Scipio Also Set Most recently, Lee directed The Morning After, a series selected to screen at the 2025 Berlinale, which earned her a nomination for Best Direction at the Venice TV Awards. Previously, she directed the South African television series Desert Rose, which brought her a SAFTA nomination for Best Director. She has also previously helmed episodes of Showmax's acclaimed original drama The Girl from St. Agnes and the drama series Sober Companion, for which she was nominated for her first SAFTA nomination for Best Director. At present, Lee is attached to direct Blondie, a drama series about a single mother and stripper who must learn to juggle her job, kids, and the dangerous criminal terrain of Johannesburg, as she gradually transforms into the matriarch of an infamous crime family. Created and written by Sean Steinberg, the show is being produced by Adam Thal under The Star Film Company banner and Lucifer actress Lesley-Ann Brandt. Born and raised in South Africa, Lee is the daughter of legendary South African agent and casting director, Moonyeenn Lee. Also an esteemed director of commercials, she continues to be repped by Moonyeenn Lee Associates and The Star Film Company.
Boston Globe
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
From ICE raids to CAPTCHA fails, this year's Oscar nominees for best live-action short tackle topical issues that resonate in tense times
'I'm Not a Robot' At first glance, Victoria Warmerdam's short appears to be the sole entry that doesn't sync up with a current issue. By the closing credits, however, you could make an argument that the film takes a swipe at the current glut of robot-based/A.I.- powered human companion stories. When music producer Lara (Ellen Parren) keeps failing those CAPTCHA tests designed to verify whether a site is interacting with a robot, she becomes suspicious of her own humanity. After getting nowhere with CAPTCHA tech support, she stumbles upon an 'Are you a robot?' questionnaire site that makes her even more confused and uncertain. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up And when Lara's boyfriend Daniel (Henry van Loon) shows up at her job acting weird, she fears the worst. Advertisement This is the kind of short that serves as a director's calling card: It's flashy and full of directorial tricks, and it has a provocative subject. Warmerdam definitely has talent, and Parren sells Lara's existential crisis, though there isn't much suspense or drama here. In Dutch with subtitles. (★★½) Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag in "Anuja." ShortsTV 'Anuja' When she's not at home reading marriage-proposal ads to her 14-year-old sister, Payak (Ananya Shanbhag), 9-year-old Anuja (Sajda Pathan) works with her at a New Delhi factory. Though director Adam J. Graves's film touches on the issue of child labor, the main thrust of this short is the relationship between the two sisters. Anuja is something of a math whiz, and Payak encourages her to take an entrance exam for a boarding school that will serve her better than a steady paycheck in a dead-end job. Payak hatches a clever plan to raise the money for the test, and it's fun to watch her and Anuja execute it. But Anuja is torn about her future. Should she stay or go? I enjoyed the interplay between Shanbhag and Pathan, but this one may be too light for Academy voters; the films that win usually require more misery. In Hindi with subtitles (★★★) Advertisement Avumile Qongqo and Liyabona Mroqoza in "The Last Ranger." ShortsTV 'The Last Ranger' Here's another film — Khuselwa catches some poachers in the act, and deadly gunfire ensues. As the mayhem erupts, we see the savagery of horn removal framed through Litha's eyes. So far, so good, but Lee lays the melodrama on way too thick. Did we really need the surprise twist here? The message of animal protection is certainly important, but its power is undermined by heavy-handedness. In Xhosa with subtitles (★★½) A scene from "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent." ShortsTV 'The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent' By comparison, this look at a real-life incident that happened in 1993 during the Bosnian War presents itself in a lean, matter-of-fact way. A commuter train makes an unscheduled stop so that soldiers can board it. The unidentified military men demand to see IDs. One man inside the train booth where we spend most of the film doesn't have any papers. A father in the same booth tries reassuring the undocumented man, but he fears speaking up will harm his family. Advertisement Director Nebojsa Slijepcevic doesn't need to show any atrocities to generate palpable suspense. Who is the person in the title, and will he stand up for what's right? After he speaks up, he is taken off the train instead of the intended party. An end credit dedicates the film to him, so we eventually learn what happened. Like several of the films in the live-action and documentary categories, 'The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent' feels eerily prescient. It has the best shot at winning if I'm wrong about my pick below. In Croatian with subtitles (★★★½) 'A Lien' Directors Sam and David Cutler-Kreutz do an excellent job generating unbearable suspense with this terrifying film about immigrants dealing with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Like 'The Man Who Could Not Be Silent,' this short is about being punished for not having the right papers. Except this time, the victim is en route to obtaining the correct documents through what he believes is the proper channel. A hopeful husband named Oscar Gomez (William Martinez) arrives for his green card interview with his American wife (Victoria Ratermanis) and their young American-born daughter. What they don't know is that the supposed interview is actually a setup organized by ICE to imprison people who are following the rules they've been given to achieve citizenship. (An end-credit screen tells us this is a real strategy of ICE.) Shot in an anxiety-inducing series of cuts, camera angles, and disembodied voices, the directors hammer home that often-heard phrase 'the cruelty is the point.' I found myself seething at the screen as the credits rolled, and I'm sure enough Academy voters will draw a parallel between 'A Lien' and current events to give this film the Oscar. (★★★★) Advertisement Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The Last Ranger: The Oscar-nominated short film making positive change in South Africa
Whenever the Oscars roll around, it's hard not to get wrapped up in the excitement surrounding the biggest films being celebrated by the Academy that year. It's very easy, though, to overlook the smaller pictures, especially in the short film categories, many of which have already punched well above their weight just to be recognised at all. This year, Best Live Action Short Film nominee The Last Ranger feels like a project that's doing something more profound than merely providing us with escapism and entertainment. Inspired by a mixture of true stories, The Last Ranger is set on the Amakhala Game Reserve in South Africa during Covid. It follows Khuselwa, a ranger who has been tasked with fending off rhinoceros poachers, intent on stealing the majestic animals' horns to trade on the black market. She is joined by Litha, a young local girl, who discovers a heart-wrenching truth behind a barbaric crime. The Last Ranger, directed by Cindy Lee, is the second part of the pandemic anthology series When the World Stopped by Darwin Shaw and Will Hawkes, who are co-writers and producers of the film. Speaking to The Independent, Shaw says they came up with the story after hearing about a vet who was left 'broken' upon encountering a rhino in South Africa that had been killed by poachers. Shaw says they were initially presented with a feature-length script about the incident, which wasn't right for their project. However, they soon learned that, due to a lack of tourism during the pandemic, the reserves in South Africa couldn't afford to employ people to safeguard these animals, which flipped the story in their favour. 'During lockdown, people were really desperate,' says Shaw. 'That kind of gave us these really rich themes and stakes to create the story.' After navigating the complexities of shooting on location with wild animals in South Africa during Covid ('We had insurance but I'm not sure if that covered being eaten by a lion', jokes Shaw), the crew began assembling their film, which revolves around the two central performances. Khuselwa is played by Avumile Qongqo, a journalist and former Miss South Africa runner-up. Shaw explained that, after spending a day and a half on set with a real ranger, 'something changed in her' and she understood that these people 'would literally die to protect these creatures'. Shaw fights back tears when recalling a screening of the film where Qongqo's family saw her act for the first time, with her brother observing: 'So this is what a movie theatre is.' Opposite Qongqo stars 11-year-old Liyabona Mroqoza, who had no professional acting experience before filming. To say Mroqoza gives a performance beyond her years would be an understatement. The youngster manages to evoke a set of emotions so raw and passionate that the performance would no doubt be considered for awards if in a feature-length film. In Mroqoza's humble opinion, she 'cried Oscar-worthy tears' while acting in the film, says Shaw. The film also features Thandi, the first-ever rhinoceros in the world to survive an attack by poachers, who has since become a symbol for conservation. She is not the only wild animal seen in the film that features cinematography that David Attenborough crews would spend weeks trying to capture. This footage reportedly fooled a CGI team, who couldn't believe the animal on screen was real. On a larger level, the film is resonating with audiences and already instigating positive change in South Africa having gained support from the government. One rhino is killed every 15 hours and one ranger is killed a week around the world after becoming cartel targets. Shaw hopes that, in some way, The Last Ranger can raise awareness about this bleak fact. 'It's changing lives, he says. 'Banks are coming in to support the Rhino Charities. So everything that we hope to do by telling this story is actually coming to pass.' The film already has its admirers in Hollywood too. Patricia Clarkson has known about The Last Ranger since its inception, having been friends with Shaw for many years. 'Every facet of this film is beautifully realised, heartbreaking, illuminating, and unforgettable,' the Six Feet Under and Sharp Objects star tells The Independent. 'What we're kind of saying is like, if there's one film we should watch, make it The Last Ranger,' proposes Shaw, with a smile on his face. 'You and I can spend half an hour scrolling through our phones but I truly believe you'll never forget this film. It's tragic but you'll be uplifted knowing there is something we can do to make a change.'
New York Times
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘The 2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films' Review: Bite-Size Stories, Big Ideas
Perhaps it's a sign of the times, that drumbeat of anxiety pulsing through the live action segment of this year's Oscar nominated short films. Proximity to Valentine's Day notwithstanding, this stress-filled collection boasts nary a spark of romance nor a scintilla of comedy. There's cruelty, injustice and existential angst aplenty, though — a thematic through line that suggests any filmmaker seeking a statuette had better wake up and smell the oppression. Luckily, a nasty scent doesn't have to mean ugly visuals. In 'Anuja,' a very pretty picture with a disarmingly perky vibe, a 9-year-old garment-factory worker (Sajda Pathan) must make a risky, life-altering choice. Produced in cooperation with a nonprofit that supports street children (of whom the charming Pathan is one), Adam J. Graves's movie feels a touch pandering, less raw and organic and more like a carefully manufactured gift to softhearted audiences. By contrast, 'The Last Ranger' — which also centers on a child confronting adult barbarity — is a gorgeous and grounded observation of a real-life attack on an endangered South African rhinoceros. Told through the friendship between a curious young girl (Liyabona Mroqoza) and a courageous park ranger (Makhaola Ndebele), this unsettlingly serene film, beautifully directed by Cindy Lee, shapes the complexities of wildlife conservation into a story that's both touching and tragic. Tragedy of a different sort awaits in 'I'm Not A Robot' as a spiraling music producer (a spectacular Ellen Parren) is barred from accessing her computer files after failing successive Captcha tests. Sharp, shiny and original, this increasingly alarming movie, deftly written and directed by Victoria Warmerdam, raises weighty issues — including the right to die and what it means to be human — with energy and empathy. Humanity is in short supply in 'A Lien,' an achingly timely immigration drama from the filmmaking brothers David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz. Set in a Manhattan government building where a young couple (Victoria Ratermanis and William Martinez) have arrived with their small daughter for a green card interview, the film brilliantly conveys our powerlessness in the face of an impenetrable and terrifying bureaucracy. Unfolding in agitated close-ups and a stressful, naturalistic sound design, 'A Lien' will raise your blood pressure, whatever your legal status. Infinitely more subtle, yet every bit as disquieting, 'The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent' places us on a Bosnian passenger train that's been boarded by armed paramilitaries. As they demand identity cards and begin loading passengers onto trucks, the movie focuses its tension on a single compartment where three men will make life-or-death decisions. In barely a dozen minutes, the Croatian director Nebojsa Slijepcevic (referencing an infamous 1993 massacre of innocent civilians) examines the cost of speaking up and, perhaps more important, the soul-destroying consequence of staying silent. — JEANNETTE CATSOULIS From bubble-gum-sweet to straight-up disturbing, this year's batch of Oscar-nominated animated shorts showcase radically different vibes with one major-downer of a unifying factor: Its characters feel powerless, scared and insecure. And, perhaps not so coincidentally, most of the shorts are about boys and men. 'Beautiful Men,' by the Belgian director Nicolas Keppens, is a Charlie Kaufman-esque dark comedy about three balding middle-aged brothers. The blue-gray color palette — and a ghostly blanket of fog — accents the film's existential deadpan as the trio head to Istanbul for hair transplant surgery. In eerily sterile hotel rooms and bathrooms, we see the brothers bickering and stewing in their loneliness. An expressive stop-motion animation style (specifically the fine details in the men's physical and facial movements) brings out a tender emotional dimension. The young protagonist in the French, 2-D animation 'Yuck!' also struggles to bare his desires. While on a family camping trip, he falls in with a group of kids who think kissing is gross. They jeer whenever they stumble upon an affectionate couple, whose lips light up in glittery, glowing pink. Directed by Loïc Espuche, this deceptively simple coming-of-age film is about adolescent groupthink, shame, and physical affection — though the flat, intentionally primitive animation style also makes it the least visually impressive among the nominees. By contrast, 'Magic Candies,' by the director Daisuke Nishio (of 'Dragon Ball Z' fame), is perhaps the most aesthetically spectacular. This fantastical computer-animated short places intricate, clay-like characters against fluttering, realistic backdrops. It's a feast for the eyes, even if the story — about a lonely boy who eats mysterious candies that empower him to communicate with others (including pets and inanimate objects) — isn't all that compelling or original. 'Wander to Wonder' is, for my money, the wild-card pick — though best not to show the kids. Directed by Nina Gantz, this nightmare fairy tale mixes stop-motion animation, puppetry and bits of live action to tell the story of three miniature people, the stars of an '80s kids series that vaguely resembles 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.' Though the creator of the series has died, these aging, troll-like humans — whom we see, unsettlingly, in the nude or in decrepit costumes — live on, seemingly trapped on the set of their show. Sunny flashbacks to their glory days create an eerie contrast that questions the value of nostalgia. Finally, the worst-behaved man appears in 'In the Shadow of the Cypress,' by the Iranian directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani. With elegantly minimalistic 2-D animation in sandy, warm tones, the short follows a former sea captain who lives alone with his daughter. A symbolic fable about the noxious ripple effects of war and trauma, the movie features unexpected bursts of jazzlike abstraction and a surprisingly moving payoff — making it perhaps the most balanced contender in a field of films with distinct virtues. — BEATRICE LOAYZA If the academy is looking to reward the documentary short that makes the most audacious use of form, the winner should be 'Incident,' from the experimental nonfiction filmmaker Bill Morrison ('Dawson City: Frozen Time'). Working from footage captured by surveillance and body cameras, Morrison reconstructs the scene of the fatal shooting of a barber, Harith Augustus, by a Chicago police officer in 2018. This half-hour short lasts roughly the time of the events it covers, and although Morrison doesn't present each step in strict chronological order, he uses split screen to show simultaneity: After the shooting, while Augustus's body lies eerily still in the street and protesters gather, some of the officers involved frenziedly race elsewhere and speak about the shooting as if they had no choice. Who are you going to believe: them, or the images you just saw? 'Incident' is an outside-the-box use of public material that demonstrates cinema's capacity to be a forensic tool. You could construct a feature from the two nominees that deal, quite differently, with the death penalty. In Smriti Mundhra's 'I Am Ready, Warden,' a condemned man, John Henry Ramirez, a former Marine who stabbed a convenience store worker to death in 2004, awaits his execution in Texas with remorse and apparent calm. Aaron Castro, the victim's son, believes firmly that Ramirez's death will bring him closure. The most powerful moments of this dirge-like film immediately follow the execution. Castro's views seem to grow more complicated as he confronts the reality that the man who had such a terrible impact on his life is gone. 'John Henry Ramirez is dead,' he says. 'Do you know how weird that sounds?' Kim A. Snyder's 'Death by Numbers' is written by Samantha Fuentes, a survivor of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in 2018. It follows the sentencing trial of the gunman, Nikolas Cruz, proceedings at which Fuentes was subpoenaed to testify. After Cruz is spared the death penalty, Fuentes reads an extraordinary statement to him in the courtroom. It's impossible not to be moved by Fuentes's reflections, although Snyder's slick aesthetics, such as incorporating snippets of the classic avant-garde film 'Meshes of the Afternoon' for atmosphere feel inappropriate. In this grim lineup, Oscar voters might easily gravitate toward 'The Only Girl in the Orchestra,' a crowd-pleasing profile of the double bassist Orin O'Brien by Molly O'Brien, her niece. In 1966, Orin, the daughter of the old-time Hollywood stars George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill, became the first woman to be named a permanent member of the New York Philharmonic. Despite coming across as a wonderful wit and a consummate artist, she professes an aversion to the spotlight, even if she can't help but command it. Her desire to be a supporting player extends to her choice of instrument: 'You're the floor under everybody that would collapse if it wasn't secure,' she tells young bass students near the end. Less world-historic in music history are the events in Ema Ryan Yamazaki's 'Instruments of a Beating Heart,' a way-too-nice Times Op-Doc about a young student in Tokyo who wins an audition to play the cymbal in a performance of 'Ode to Joy' for incoming first graders. — BEN KENIGSBERG
