The Last Lions

Deep in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a pride of lions lives on the edge of survival as its members roam the stark savannah. One lioness and her three cubs have been ostracized from the protective unit after her mate is killed by other dominant males; alone, and shunned by the powerful rival lioness Silver Eye, the mother and her young become part of a family drama with dangerous implications.

When a fire rips through the dry, barren land, the lions’ homes and lives are threatened, forcing them to overcome a natural fear of water to escape across a river of crocodiles. The lionesses swim to an island of refuge, a seeming Garden of Eden. However, the island is also inhabited by a relentless and threatening herd of Cape buffalo. Yet it is those buffalo who ― in a dangerous twist of fate ― turn out also to be the main prey the island offers to this group of immigrant lions.

“Fifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make. And when one takes into account the fact that big cats are at the very top of the food chain-and that their elimination would wreak havoc on all species below them, causing a complete ecosystem collapse-the need takes on a supreme urgency.” (Palm Springs International Film Festival)

Wandering the island with her achingly innocent cubs in tow, Ma Di Tau (Protector of Lions) spends day and night looking for a safe haven from the buffalo herd as she also seeks food for her cubs. Ironically, these natural enemies are also her main source of food. She must cast fear aside and summon the courage to attack the herd if she is to feed her young.

However, as she hunts, tragedy in the form of a buffalo stampede strikes one of her cubs. In retaliation, propelled by maternal instinct and the basic need for survival, Ma Di Tau blindly confronts Skew Horn, the buffalo leader, alone. It's a battle that only one will win.

Ma Di Tau is tossed in the air, and defeat seems imminent. Then, suddenly from out the distance, the pride comes to her aid, led by Ma Di Tau’s former nemesis Silver Eye. They viciously attack the buffalo, functioning as the powerful killing team they were meant to be. They triumph, accepting the Ma Di Tau as their sister-in-arms and bringing harmony and balance back to the pride. In the aftermath of this epic battle, the males rejoin the females on the island, and the cycle of life begins anew.

“Doubling as cinematographer, Dereck Joubert skillfully integrates slow-motion and creates a rich sense of space with godlike long shots.” (Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice)

“This evocative National Geographic production proves to be both an inquisitive nature documentary and an activist call to arms.” (Nick Schager, Time Out New York)