Cindy Lee’s “The Last Ranger” Keeps Africa’s Hopes High Ahead of the 97th Academy Awards

The Last Ranger, a South African short film produced by Darwin Shaw and directed by Cindy Lee, has advanced to the final list for the 97th Academy Awards (the Oscars). The film, considered in the Oscars’ Best Live-Action Short Film category, will represent Africa at the big event scheduled for 2nd March, 2025 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

The nominees’ announcement was made in Los Angeles on Thursday, co-hosted by actors Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang in a live show from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Africa will relish its chance to strike gold at the 2025 edition of the Oscars, with Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop’s documentary, Dahomey, dropped for the Best Documentary and Best International Feature Film categories after initially making both shortlists. 

Earlier on, nine African films from Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Cameroon, Kenya and Tunisia were nominated for Best International Feature Film Category—representing the heterogenous identities of Africans and highlighting the brilliance of African cinema on the world stage. 

The Last Ranger is a film that is based on rhino poaching and conservation efforts in Amakhala Game Reserve, East Cape, South Africa.  It premiered on 7th January, 2024 at the Pan African Film Festival. It follows the story of Litha, a young South African girl who, in a battle to save the rhinos from poachers, discovers a terrible secret. It is a story of strength and courage in the face of adversity.

Co-written by David Lee, Will Hawkes and Darwin Shaw, the short film stars Liyabona Mroqoza as Litha, among other actors. Since its premiere, The Last Ranger won The Clover & Maggie Award: In Celebration of Life at the Cleveland International Film Festival and Best Short Narrative at the San Diego International Film Festival, both in 2024. 

The Last Ranger is also a recipient of the Best Narrative Short at the 2023 LA Independent Women Film Awards, Audience Choice Award, and Green Fire Award at the 2023 and 2024 editions of the American Conservation Film Festival, Best Drama Short at the 2024 Cordillera International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award for Narrative at 2024 Indy Shorts International Film Festival, and Best Short Narrative at 2024 Pan African Film Festival. 

Director Cindy Lee began her artistic career as a copywriter before delving into film and television—directing commercials at first. Her careful attention to detail was developed, and her passion for storytelling led to the making of projects such as Horn, a short film based on rhino poaching that had a successful outing at the New York Picture Start Film Festival. Her contributions to the South African film industry have fetched her multiple SAFTA (South African Film and Television Award) nominations including a nomination for directing the drama series Sober Companion. She directed three episodes of Showmax’s first original drama, The Girl From St. Agnes, and got a second SAFTA recognition as Best Director in a Drama for the series Desert Rose, which is now showing on Showmax. While she continues to evolve and tell conservation stories, she connects seamlessly with both local and global audiences.