WHAT is "Dragon and Me" Shortfilm?

Dragon and Me: Prologue shortfilm is the culmination of five years of dedicated work — a true love story between human and animal, shaped by the passion for art and made possible by those who believed in the dream.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to share the full film yet due to the strict rules of film festival submissions, which require the right to the first screening in 2026.
However, I am delighted to share the film trailer with you.

Please enjoy!

Synopsis

Deep in the Appalachian wilderness, a solitary life is shattered by the accidental discovery of a mysterious extraterrestrial artifact — a force that tears apart the boundaries of the known world.

As official institutions attempt to control the anomaly, the hero stands at a crossroads: submit to cold authority or heed the fierce call of something far beyond human understanding.

Bound by an extraordinary connection to an exotic companion — a humble creature transforming in impossible ways — they choose to abandon control and step boldly into the unknown. Together, they forge a bond that defies reason and reshapes reality itself.

Film Festivals and Awards

Below is the list of the film festivals and awards the "Dragon and Me: Prologue" short film has earned:

- The Micheaux Film Festival -- Official 2025 selection.
- Big Apple Film Festival -- Official 2025 selection. First time Director Award nominee.
- Animalis Fabula Film Festival -- Official 2025 selection. Best VFX Award winner.

Interesting facts about the film:

The Dragon and Me project has attracted over 400,000 followers on Instagram alone, with hundreds of thousands more across other platforms—support and belief that made the film’s production possible.

This short film serves as a prologue to a planned feature-length production.

The project was brought to life over 5 years of dedicated work, with a total budget of $18,790.

Iguana Tam, the main character of the film, belongs to an exceptionally rare species—only a few of which exist in the world—and was born blind, bringing a distinctive emotional depth to the narrative.

The portal light effect in the film was created using a $47 laser measurement line.

Most of the film was shot on the legendary Canon “Dream Lens” with an ultra-wide 0.95 aperture, contributing to its distinctive visual style.

A test video of the Draguana in flight went viral, reaching over 6 million views on Instagram and 20+ million on Tiktok.

Alexey Kashpersky was offered a lead role in a television series episode but declined due to scheduling conflicts with the Dragon and Me film's production.

Creative Team

The film’s creative team consists of 25 people, including artists, animators, musicians, and award-winning specialists such as Jason Snyman (Avatar, Game of Thrones, Godzilla, I, Robot), Nina Fisher (Game of Thrones, The Marvels, Em & Selma - 2025 Sundance selection), Hai-Tao Wu (two-time Emmy Award winner), and others.

Taking this opportunity, I’d like to give a HUGE shoutout to this incredible team—artists and true masters of their craft.
Without you, this film would NEVER have happened.
Five years in production is a long journey. Some of you have been with me from the very beginning, while others joined later.
Nevertheless, I am endlessly grateful for your skills, vision, support, and trust to each and every of you.

Music - Michael Hyman & Madil Hardis

Sound Design – Isiah Kendall

Director of Photography – HaiTao Wu

Camera Operators – Albert Kulakov, Elena Kashpersky

Matchmove, Rotomation, Pre-prod. - Ana Petrovikj, Toni Bozhinovski, Goran Kjulavkovski

Animation - Jason Snyman, Nina Fischer, Eevee Saucedo, Aimee Hochstein, Alexey Kashpersky

Particle systems - CG Record Studio, Amid Rajabi, Lê Vũ Văn Trường, João Teixeira

Draguana 3D model - Alexey Kashpersky

Watch 3D Model - Valentin Sorokin

Rigging - Truong Cg Artist, Alexey Kashpersky

Voice actors - Mark Christiansen, Tim Stephenson

Poster - Lev Savitskiy

Special Thanks

Loucas Rongeart, Jonathan Symmonds, Marcus Ottosson, Paris Hall, Alexander Ryazanov, Dan Katcher, Dominika Jandlová, Meleah Maynard, Simon Walker, Samuel Vona, David Martinez, Al Lemke, Elena Kashpersky, Olha Parchuk, Alexander Thompson and my Mom Olena.

MAXON team – To every and each of you - Thank you for continuous support!

AND TO ALL OUR INSTAGRAM SPONSORS - You guys are the best! You gave me motivation to move forward and keep pushing.

Vlada, Mami, Dawn Marie, Alisha, G.H.S, ang2889, Jakie Ceman, Lori Greiner, Brookie, Beardielover1001, Brittanie Alcala, Emma Willingham, Jakie Negron, Jade Moth, Sherri Lynne, Hernameisred, Wesley Knight Jensen, Spikey and Vinny, Being.Piye, Nanibel, Lia Pender, Britta Sorensen, Nicholasfw, Kristee Clarke, Ravensky23, Khostadina1, Mimi Annette Mayer, Roberta Shaffer, James and Aleece, Joan Schmidt Bunke, Bridgitte Thibodeau, Leslie Kadane, David Seltzer, Laura Ann Le Duc, Netyri23, Dawn Hubberstey, Lynne Amos, Benita Conway, Sharon Christensen, Marlon Godet, Misha & Milo, Linda Alexander, Violeta.sivestre, Cindy Coupigny, Zandra Hansson, Jenny Sell, Darcie Tucker, Mia Fiterman, Hugo Landheer, Lisa Fryslie

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

As a Thank You to our CGI Community:

Over all these years working on the film, I’ve felt incredible support from our ZBrush and art community. I’d like to take this chance to say thank you and to share some film-related materials that will, I hope, help you—dear fellow artist—stay motivated and keep your creative spirit alive!

Sharing all of my 500+ high resolution iguana reptile photo references. Download link.

Dragon Skin Anatomy and 3D Scales Creation for Artists. Link to video.

Zbrush to Redshift - the POWER of Vector Displacement. Link to video.

Please enjoy some Work In Progress materials below:

- Draguana Proof of Concept still images.
- Animated draft version of the wings composited with live video. (20+ mil. views on social media)
- Flying test of the Draguan on top of the drone footage. (6 mil. views on social media)
- 10 months long journey on creating the 3D model.
- First flying animation and real life footage compositing test.

Ways to SUPPORT the project

-- Make a sponsor subscription to @dragon.and.me on Instagram or Patreon.
-- Order merch from our online store.
-- If you would like to join our team please DM me on instagram or email at shinytamerlan@gmail.com