Sidik and the Panther – Sidik and the Panther (2019)

Directed by: Reber Dosky | 83 minutes | documentary

‘Sidik and the Panther’ opens with a wide shot of an imposing mountain landscape covered by a large mountain of snow. In the distance we see a lone hiker approaching, armed only with a walking stick, ancient binoculars and handy writing pad. It’s Sidik, a man on a mission. His ultimate goal: to show that the illustrious and elusive Persian panther (Panthera pardus saxicolor), a rare subspecies of the leopard, still roams the Kurdish mountains between northern Iraq and Iran. If Sidik can prove that this endangered species still lives in its homeland, the area would be given national park status and would henceforth be free from the bombings and other horrors of war that have plagued Sidik’s native region for decades. First there was Saddam, then came the ruthless executioners of IS.

The panther in this story therefore symbolizes a people that has always been structurally abandoned by the international community. The animal is not only a real existing biological entity, but also a metaphor for hope and the age-old connection between man and nature. Just how skittish and secretive the Persian panther is is shown by the fact that no one who encounters Sidik on his quest has had the pleasure of seeing the feline in person. In contrast, almost everyone knows someone who has seen the predator. These usually concern old observations, often coming from the (grand)parents of the persons questioned.

Despite the title ‘Sidik and the Panther’, the mountains are the true protagonists of this film. “Tyrants come and go, but the mountains never gave in to them. The only friend the Kurds have are the mountains.” With this statement, the sage Sidik typifies the timelessness of the landscape in which he wanders. On his quest for the Persian panther, he also meets several other people. Sometimes soul mates, sometimes opposites, resulting in interesting discussions about life and the relationship between man and nature.

For example, a young man says that he spends a lot of time in nature because there is little else to do. His dream? Moving to Europe, mainly because he has better chances of well-paid work there and can start a family more easily. Sidik disagrees: “Whoever leaves his home soil loses his dignity”, he remarks soberly. He then impresses on his interlocutor that taking a step back to nature, the source from which we have all sprung, is ultimately the best way to rediscover yourself. “It’s heaven on earth here, and if it’s not, then we should make it that way,” said Sidik. In line with his message of protection, he explains to two men he meets why they should not cut down living trees. The panther seeker is also not afraid to snatch a loaded AK-47 from the hands of a young miscreant (most likely a poacher).

With sublime panoramic images and thoughtful close-ups, director Reber Dosky sublimely portrays the rugged peaks and natural valleys of the Zagros Mountains. Subject and environment regularly merge into an indivisible unit. The digital information society so familiar to us seems light years away from the rustic place where Sidik looks out over endless plains with his old binoculars, meticulously analyzes animal tracks, observes ibex and griffon vultures and attaches game cameras to the trees. Everything he sees and learns is written down in an old-fashioned notepad. But sometimes a window to modernity opens up in this timeless landscape. In a breathtakingly beautiful valley, Sidik encounters two passers-by with a pack donkey named Messi. The youngsters then start talking about El Clásico, the football classic between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. “It was just a boring pot”, the two sigh pityingly.

Although for a long time you had the impression that Sidik mainly does Sisyphoid work, eventually there is some hope on the horizon. About fifty kilometers from the area where Sidik searches with unwavering zeal for the mottled spirit of the mountains, researcher Hana Razi has managed to capture Persian panthers with the help of wildlife cameras. It is a distance that a mobile, fast and athletically built animal like a panther could cover in less than a day.

‘Sidik and the Panther’ is a beautiful, modest film with a broad thematic basis. The importance of knowing your roots, living with trauma and the bond between humans and nature; it will all pass. But above all, the film is an ode to the oral storytelling culture and the power of stories, a tradition that is unfortunately increasingly fading in the modern West.