Synopsis

Oscar-winning director Kathyrn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) and VR creator Imraan Ismail (The Displaced, Valen's Reef) have co-directed The Protectors, a VR short documentary exposing the dangerous and grueling reality faced by rangers protecting African elephants from ivory poachers. Over 30,000 African elephants die each year at the hands of poachers, and despite the global outcry over the killings trafficking continues. The biggest key to saving these elephants from extinction are the rangers working on the ground within Africa's national parks. The project was made in partnership with National Geographic Channel and Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures.