Canine Film Project

In Africa, rangers are locked in a ferocious battle against ruthless rhino and elephant poachers. Poaching gangs have killed hundreds of rhinos and elephants for their horns which are valuable only on the black market. The horns are hacked off the animals after they are shot by poachers with high-powered rifles. The rangers are outmanned and outgunned. Poaching gangs are so heavily armed that ranger teams must carry assault rifles for personal protection.

 

However, there is one way to help level the playing field…

 

Half a world away, in a windswept valley in North County Cork in Ireland, AK a Belgian Malinois pup is nearly finished is training. In one month, this dog will be heading to a conservancy in Namibia to help deter, detect and detain poachers. AK is one small part of a conservation project that is the brainchild of dog trainer, Rory Hennebry. Conservation has become a war and park rangers and poachers are the soldiers. Well trained dogs are an extremely effective weapon for these rangers and could tip the balance in their favour. These dogs are used to deter, detect and detain poachers in a non-lethal way. Conservations are crying out for well-trained canine units. But good dogs are very expensive. AK is the test case for Rory’s project. After that, he plans to send more dogs to other poaching hotspots around the world.

 

For the last year, myself and DOP Keith Pendred have been filming AK’s progress since he was a tiny puppy starting his training. We have seen him grow into a strong, skilled tracking dog well suited to the terrain in Namibia that will become his new home. We are filming everything from the perspective of AK, our short documentary will be an immersive experience showing the life of one little dog making a very big difference.

 

Travelling to Namibia is expensive and complicated but with a little help from you, we can make this trip possible and make this film a powerful experience for the viewer. This money will be spent on flights, accommodation, permits, insurance, equipment and post-production. Anything you can give would be so much appreciated.

 Thanks to Kariega Game Reserve Eastern Cape for permission to use their images for the purpose of this teaser trailer.

About the Filmmakers

Keith and I are longtime collaborators on various documentary and drama projects. We are extremely passionate about this project and have full belief that this film can be a powerful tool to help gain attention for the plight of these wild animals. Rory Hennebry has been a vital member of our team, he is completely on board with our vision and has made this project possible, welcoming us into his home, sharing his knowledge and making many, many cups of tea.

 

Paul Webster is an award-winning writer and director of both documentary and drama. He studied at GMIT and NUI Galway and went on to direct several short films, including Borderland, a 26-minute documentary exploring the refugee crisis along Europe's Borders. Under the 2018 Real Shorts scheme, Paul received funding from Screen Ireland for his docu-drama, The Vasectomy Doctor, produced by Carbonated Comet Productions. The film premiered at the Cork Film Festival in November 2018 and has gone on to win numerous awards at home and abroad. He went on to direct an hour-long version of this story for TG4 as part of their award-winning series - Finné. Paul is currently directing a number of film and TV projects and has recently completed a 4x1 hr nature series about Dublin Bay which aired on TG4 in November 2021.  

 

Keith Pendred has over thirteen years’ experience within the camera department in Television and Film. Starting off as a lighting cameraman for RTE’s Mocumentary Hardy Bucks. He then moved into Outside Broadcast operating working with such clients as Sky Sports, BBC and BT Sports. As well as spending time as a Camera AC in Commercials, Documentary and Film on titles such as Cardboard Gangsters, AMC’s “Into the Badlands” and Brendan Gleeson’s “Psychic” Keith then moved on to be DP/Operator. Most recently shooting a feature Documentary for RTE called “Father of the Cyborgs”, coming in as 2nd Unit DP on “Stranger with a Camera” shooting for Terry George and spending 5weeks shooting a Netflix Documentary with Conor McGregor documenting his preparation for the Dustin Poirer fight.