A Missoula filmmaker’s new short documentary highlights the plight of northern white rhinos, which are down to only two animals remaining on Earth.

Ami Vitale is a world-renowned photographer and filmmaker who has documented the journey of endangered northern white rhinos for the last 14 years.

In 2020, National Geographic selected Ami Vitale’s photograph “Goodbye Sudan” as one of the most compelling photographs of the 21st century.

March 19 marks the fifth anniversary since the death of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on Earth, leaving only two surviving females behind.

Vitale recalls documenting the moment of Sudan’s passing in Kenya at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2018.

“The thing I remember the most was the silence, you know nature is usually really noisy, you hear birds, there’s just life, and on that day it was like -- it was like this reminder of what the world would sound like without wildlife. All you could hear was the muffled sobs of all the people who loved and protected these creatures and the raindrops,” Vitale said.

Now, an international team of scientists is making big breakthroughs. The Bio Rescue Project created 24 embryos from the DNA of deceased male white rhinos and the eggs of the two surviving female white rhinos.

Vitale continues to document the struggle for survival the northern white rhinos are facing and the work being done by their human allies.

She is premiering a short documentary film called "Remembering Sudan" at the International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula next month. The film festival runs April 22-27.