Private Project

Wild Dog & Mrs Heart

Wild Dog and Mrs Heart is a heart-warming film that reflects the universal story of animal welfare organizations and their struggle with the global companion pet overpopulation crisis. In this film, we go on a road journey with animal welfare inspector Pieter and his fiancée Nadia, trying to understand the nature of the crisis. The result. A tender and moving observational story from an award-winning film maker that you should not miss to see.

  • Riaan Hendricks
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    52 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    South Africa
  • Country of Filming:
    South Africa
  • Language:
    Afrikaans, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Encounters International Documentary Film Festival
    Cape Town
    June 4, 2015
    World Premier
Director Biography - Riaan Hendricks

His first documentary film "A Fisherman's Tale" was described as a "sterling directorial debut"
and won a Jury Special Mention for Documentary at the Apollo International Film Festival.
A Fisherman's Tale (2004) "...reminds me of the art of Picasso and Diego Riviera, who had
used their art to animate the condition of the working people and their dignity"
- Professor Ben Turok,
Independent Newspapers.
The Directors most recent film “The Devils Lair (2013) was received with critical acclaim, played on almost every continent and garnered a lot of film awards in the process.
His work is celebrated for constantly pushing the boundaries of the documentary genre.
Drawn to observational cinema, his themes pendulums between being personal and
very political. The constant struggle of engaging audiences with the "subjective reality"
of his characters are expressed in the rich tapestry of moments
engrosses his work.
RECENT ACCOLADES
***Best Documentary World Cinema Award at the New Zealand International Documentary Edge Festival 2014***
***Best Documentary Feature Award SAFTA's 2014 ***
***Best Documentary Feature Editor Award SAFTA's 2014 ***
***Jury Special Mention Documentary, Luxor Film Festival, 2014 ***
***Best South African Documentary Feature, JOZI FILM FEST 2014 ***
***Best South African Feature Documentary, Screen Excellence Award, 2013***
***Jury Special Mention at the 24th Festival Cinema Africano Asia Latin Americana, 2014 ***

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In my younger years, I always had a dog as a companion. Growing up in an area close to nature - and loving exploration - who better than a friend half my size to explore the vast wild bushy areas surrounding our community. His name was Hunter. A mongrel of shorts. One of the sadest times for me was when a car knocked Hunter. I can still recall having to pick up his warm lifeless body in my arms and having to dig a grave for him. Offcourse, may more hunters followed after that. But soon I'd grow too old to explore the wilderness. Yet the impact of having a companion pet as a friend is one I cant forget. Off recent. I opened a newspaper and found a story of the local animal welfare complaining that they are forced to euthanize scores of companion pets everyday. Healthy ones. I took my camera and investigated what its all about. Out of frustration - they allowed me access into the globalcrisis of companion pet overpopulation. Its a heartbreaking sight. Yet its an experience that pet owners needs to acknowledge exists. And that is what Wild Dog and Mrs Heart is all about. It's not about shocking visuals exploring how people abuse animals or sad stories to depress our hopefull outlook in life. Its a warm story about man and his companion pet - in context to a crisis that has been kept a secret for too long.