The Auto & General Lions were invited to attend the movie premier of White Lion at Ster Kinekor recently. The entire team went along to the premier with their partners and children.
The movie is proudly South African film which follows a white lion from birth to adulthood and shows the challenges faced by animals in the wild. With their being in the region of only 500 white lions in South Africa, the lions are very rare and have been a part of legendary stories for centuries.
A short synopsis of the movie, as provided by Ster Kinekor, is as follows:
“According to the legend of the Shangaan, white lions are the messengers of the gods, but it has been years since on has been seen in their remove African valley.
When a white lion is miraculously born into that valley, a young Shangaan named Gisani finds himself destined to protect this rare and magnificent creature at all costs.
This young lion, who will be known as Letsatsi, is cast from his pride and forced to embark upon a perilous journey of survival.
Close to starvation, Letsatsi befriends Nkulu, an older lion and together they learn how to survive in the harsh African wilderness.
Gisani, who is watching over Letsatsi, takes a job as a tracker with a local hunter, who has his sights set on leading the hunt for this rare and magnificent white lion. Gisani, guided by fate, believes that he must find a way to prevent this tragedy from happening.
When Nkulu is killed by a farmer, Letsatsi is forced once again to survive on his own. After many trials and tribulations he finally learns to hunt by himself and grows into a magnificent adult.
But before he can take over a pride of his own, Letsatsi and Gisani must face their greatest challenge – the trophy hunger – for whom legends are worthless and rare skins priceless.”
The Auto & General Lions thoroughly enjoyed the outing and the “reviews” from the players have been nothing but good. Kevin Richardson, better known as the “lion whisperer”, who acted out many different roles in the film – from lion handler to producer – was at the premier and the team was delighted to meet him.
A very big thank you is extended to Kym McGibney – Marketing Manager of Ster Kinekor – for inviting the team, and allowing the Golden
Lions Rugby Union to be a part of such a dynamic South African film.
