Phantom of the Village Dogs (2024)
Phantom of the Village Dogs (2024)
The border village of Tazeh Qaleh in North Khorasan, Iran, has been gripped by fear after a wave of mysterious dog disappearances. For weeks, villagers have discovered the partially eaten remains of their pets on the outskirts of the village, raising alarm and confusion.
At first, suspicion falls on human involvement, but unusual tracks and signs reveal a different culprit. Panic spreads when the villagers encounter a fierce predator that refuses to back down. Many believe this relentless hunter is responsible for the attacks, having already claimed more than half of the village’s dogs.
Instead of taking revenge, the villagers seek help from environmental authorities. A team of wildlife experts launches a tense ten-day operation to track and capture the elusive animal. After several failed attempts, they finally succeed, discovering an aged predator whose frailty explains its desperate hunting behavior.
Just as relief sets in, an unexpected and tragic event unfolds, casting a dark shadow over the fragile balance between humans and nature.
“This film is currently making its rounds in renowned international film festivals. We welcome further festival selections that align with our vision of sharing impactful stories with audiences across the globe.”
Ankara International Wildlife Documentary Film Festival
Ankara, Türkiye
May 12, 2025
The Best Short-film
Trailer
Director
- Director, Producer
Fathollah Amiri is a highly acclaimed Iranian documentary filmmaker specializing in environmental and wildlife films. With over two decades of experience, Amiri has produced numerous documentaries that explore the rich biodiversity of Iran and raise awareness about critical environmental issues. His work has earned him over 50 national and 20 international awards, cementing his reputation as one of Iran’s leading environmental filmmakers.
Amiri’s film Ranger and Leopard received the prestigious Green Screen award in Germany in 2018. His documentary Vortex won the top prize at the 33rd Sondrio Festival in Italy in 2019. Amiri has also served as a jury member for esteemed festivals, including the Matsalu Nature Film Festival in Estonia (2019) and the Sondrio Environmental Film Festival in Italy (2020).
In Iran, Amiri has been recognized with some of the country’s most significant awards, including the Crystal Simorgh for Best Feature Documentary at the Fajr International Film Festival in 2011 for In Search of the Iranian Leopard. He also won the Grand Prize at the Cinema Verite Festival in 2014 for Life in Cold Veins and received multiple Cypress Awards at the Jam-e Jam TV Festival for works like Reptiles of Iran (2013) and The Ranger and the Leopard (2018).
Amiri holds a Master’s degree in Documentary Production from IRIB University and continues to be a prominent voice in Iranian cinema, inspiring global audiences with his thought-provoking films on wildlife and environmental conservation.
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- Cinematographer, Director
Nima Asgari is a renowned Iranian filmmaker and environmentalist with a degree in Environment and Natural Resources. He honed his filmmaking skills at the Iranian Youth Cinema Association, one of the country’s most esteemed institutions for training filmmakers. Since 2010, he has been an integral part of the Wildlife Pictures Institute, a platform dedicated to documenting Iran’s rich biodiversity and advocating for the conservation of endangered species.
Asgari began his career in 2007 with the Iranian Cheetah Society, where he worked as a researcher and cinematographer, focusing on rare and vulnerable species such as the Asiatic cheetah, the great bustard, the Persian onager, and the houbara bustard. Through his work at the Wildlife Pictures Institute, he has produced numerous documentaries that explore these species in their natural habitats, offering audiences a unique insight into the challenges of wildlife conservation in Iran.
Most of Nima’s films delve into the intricate relationship between human societies and nature, emphasizing the devastating impact of human activities on wildlife extinction. Over the course of his career, he has directed and produced more than 30 documentary films, earning over a dozen international awards. His critically acclaimed films Ranger and Leopard (2018) and Houbara (2022) have garnered widespread recognition, including the Grand Prix and Best Director awards at the Matsalu Nature Film Festival in Estonia. In addition, his film Ranger and Leopard was awarded at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (2018) and earned him the Best Director title at Iran’s prestigious Cinema Verite Film Festival in the same year.
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Director's Statement:
“Phantom of the Village Dogs” is a documentary born from reality and shaped by an intense, firsthand experience. It all began in a remote border village in North Khorasan, where domestic dogs started disappearing one by one. This phenomenon was not only strange and unsettling for the villagers but also a mystery that demanded to be uncovered.
We joined a team of environmental experts, stepping into a world where the only clues were fading tracks and the silent fear in the villagers’ eyes. Ten days of tracking and searching in a remote and rugged landscape presented both physical and emotional challenges, yet it also allowed us to witness something remarkable—how a community, instead of resorting to violence, sought a path of coexistence and understanding with the unknown force disturbing their lives.
But what made this story even more complex was the fate that awaited the creature after its capture. Just when we thought the mystery had been solved, events took an unexpected turn. This film is not just an account of an environmental incident; it is a deeply personal journey into the unseen boundaries between nature and humans, fear and empathy, control and surrender.
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Film Specifications
Credits:
- Director: Fathollah Amiri, Nima Asgari
- Producer: Fathollah Amiri
- Researcher: Dr. Sadegh Farhadinia
- Editor: Sogol Moradi
- Cinematography: Nima Asgari
- Composer: Vahid Raisi
- Sound Recorder: Abbas Malek Hosseini
- Sound Design: Ehsan Afsharian
Technical:
- Project Type: Documentary
- Runtime: 39 minutes 51 seconds
- Completion Date: 2024
- Country of Filming: Iran
- Language: Persian (with English subtitle)
- Shooting Format: UHD (3840×2160)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Film Color: Color
- More info on IMDb
Contact & Request
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