TEHRAN -- Documentary filmmaker Pejman Mazaheripur has completed his documentary “The Lake That Was Once Existed”, which features the shrinking process of Lake Urmia in West Azarbaijan.

Lake Urmia has been gradually shrinking and evaporating, but despite this tragic event, no special attention has been paid to the case, Mazaheripur told the Persian service of ISNA.
He noted that he had begun his research long ago, adding, “After the proposal to make the documentary was accepted by the House of Cinema and Iran’s Documentary Filmmakers Association last year, Mehrdad Oskuii and I as the project advisor began working.”
“I collected the necessary information for a month, then wrote the screenplay and afterwards filmed the documentary within 17 days,” he added.
The crew includes editor Arash Zahedi, sound recorder Keivan Kiyaras, and cinematographer Morteza Mottaqi.
Photographer Javad Pursamadi who had previously collected photos and documents about the lake collaborated as the photographer in this project.
The documentary has been submitted to take part in the 12th Iran Cinema Celebration and the Roshd Film Festival.
Lake Urmia is the largest lake inside Iran and the second largest salt water lake on earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km² (2,000 mile²).
Photo: A scene from “The Lake That Was Once Existed”.