Glaswegian based filmmaker and cognitive neuroscientist Isa Rao was raised in Germany and studied in India and UK. In 2018 Isa went on to direct her first commissioned short film, Crannog for the Scottish Documentary Institute. Crannog follows a young woman who cares for 48 rescued and sick animals staying with them when they die - a contemplation on life, death and kindness.

Isa Rao << I made Crannog because I was fascinated by my protagonist Alexis’ approach to caring for animals in their final days. I am a cognitive neuroscientist and I have always been interested in animal consciousness. To me, it seems obvious that humans and most animals can feel joy, excitement and fear. And despite this, we still do not give animals the same consideration as humans, in particular in death and sickness. With Crannog I wanted to tell the story of somebody who did and who found their calling in doing so. Crannog can offer a starting point for people to evaluate how they think about kindness and the human-animal relationship. >>

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Some text taken from interview: http://www.wearemovingstories.com/we-are-moving-stories-films/2019/1/17/crannog