Private Project

Operation Sumatran Rhino

Operation Sumatran Rhino is a wildlife conservation documentary which showcases the Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) in their do or die mission to save Malaysia's critically endangered Sumatran rhino - there are less than 100 of them remaining in the world, with just a few left in Malaysia. This show document’s BORA’s incredible quest to find all remaining Sumatran rhinos in the rainforests of Sabah and breed them before it’s too late – a critical operation that’s charged with emotion, danger, tragedy and hope.

  • Chris Annadorai
    Director
  • Lydia Lubon
    Producer
  • Chris Annadorai
    Producer
  • Lydia Lubon
    Executive Producer
  • Chris Annadorai
    Writer
  • Borneo Rhino Alliance
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Wildlife, Conservation, Natural History, Environmental
  • Runtime:
    44 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Malaysia
  • Country of Filming:
    Malaysia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Wildife Conservation Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    August 24, 2016
    Worldwide Premiere
  • Singapore Eco Film Festival
    Singapore
    Singapore
    November 12, 2016
Distribution Information
  • National Geographic
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Chris Annadorai

Chris Annadorai is an award winning director and producer who for the last 12 years has crafted a diverse array of international projects ranging from science, nature and history documentaries, sports broadcast and live entertainment programmes for clients such as the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, the History Channel, Channel NewsAsia, Al Jazeera, and Fox Sports, among others.

He recently developed, produced, directed and wrote ‘Operation Sumatran Rhino’ a National Geographic ‘Mission Critical’ documentary, the first ever Malaysian produced wildlife programme to ever air in the United States and the first to receive a global telecast across over 100 countries.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

With less than 100 Sumatran rhinos left on earth as of 2017, decisive action is needed right now to save a species that's tethering on the brink of extinction. This critical mission is what drove us to create 'Operation Sumatran Rhino'.

This passion project started in 2013 when we spoke to Sumatran rhino conservationists. Discovering the huge stakes involved, which the world at large had no idea about, we took it upon ourselves to document this situation, regardless of how long it took.

Three years later, we finally had a film that we were extremely proud of. While it had a poignant, action packed narrative, what we were most excited about was the impact the film would have on the public and on rhino conservation.

After a very highly rated global TV premiere on National Geographic, we showed the film at a gathering of the world's top rhino conservationists. While they had prior understanding of the circumstances, seeing the severity of the situation first hand, brought about a collective understanding that they had to now urgently overcome all national political divides and work together in order to save the species.

This was the kind of impact that we as filmmakers wanted, and it proudly stands as one of the most important projects we have ever been involved in. It is our hope, that 'Operation Sumatran Rhino' will continue to serve it's purpose in educating the public and be a call to action in saving a critically endangered species, while there is still time and while there is still hope.