While Cannes is revered today for the film personalities in attendance, as well as the films in contention, the film festival has begun to witness a new kind of celebrity: four-legged canines who enjoy their moment of fame at the prestigious event. Celebrating their on-screen talent each year is the Palm Dog Woopets — an annual award ceremony honouring the best canine performance on screen. The prize, a leather dog collar, is presented by film critics, who also comprise the jury. Instituted in 2001, the award that coincides with the film festival celebrates 25 years this year. The official website of Palm Dog Woopets, palmdog.com, notes, “From animated films to acclaimed dramas, Palm Dog Woopets honours the most memorable canine performances, showcasing the diversity and richness of the relationship between filmmakers and their loyal companions.” This year, the ceremony will be held at the beachside restaurant La Plage du Festival on May 23, awarding dogs across different categories. Who instituted the award and why? Named after Cannes’ highest honour, the Palme d’Or, Palm Dog Woopets was founded in 2001 by UK-based cinema journalist Toby Rose, who reportedly visited the Cannes Film Festival with his fox terrier named Mutt. Over the years, he noticed how film personalities and celebrities warmly welcomed Mutt. “Cannes is a good place for dogs to get a showcase because the French have a very sensible approach to dogs,” Rose stated to The New York Times in a 2024 article. He added, “They are always pretty much without exception welcome to join in restaurants, which I know to the Anglo-Saxon American and Brits is almost heresy.” According to palmdog.com, the idea of the award stemmed from Mutt and Rose’s desire to celebrate the best canine performances at the Cannes Film Festival. This year, the awards in contention include: The “Palm Dog” for the most memorable canine performance, both live-action and animated. The “Palm DogManitarian” is for “individuals dedicated to the well-being of dogs”. The “Mutt Moment” celebrates “the best canine appearance”. The increasing popularity of the award Over the years, famous film stars and directors have accepted awards and delivered speeches on behalf of the winning dogs in their films, while prominent international film critics sit on its jury. The very first recipient of the Palm Dog in 2001 was Otis, a shepherd-basenji mix, lauded for its performance in Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming’s The Anniversary Party. Jason Leigh accepted the award on Otis’s behalf. Celebrated American filmmaker-actor Quentin Tarantino attended the 2019 ceremony to support Brandy, a pit bull who was Brad Pitt’s companion in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In 2021, British actor Tilda Swinton’s three dogs, Rose, Dora and Snowbear, who starred with her in Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir II, won the coveted award, which Swinton accepted on their behalf. While The Artist won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2011, its endearing canine star Uggie, was awarded at Cannes. The Jack Russell terrier, who passed away in 2015, was also posthumously awarded The “Palm Dog of Palm Dogs” award in 2020 in a virtual ceremony held during Covid, where its trainer Omar von Muller accepted the award on its behalf. Moses in Lars von Trier’s experimental drama film Dogville (2003) and Nellie as Marvin in Paterson (2016) are other prominent recipients of the award. Animated canines have also been declared winners, including Dug from the Academy Award-winning Up (2009) and the beloved pooch Bruno from The Triplets of Belleville (2003). The award ceremony recognises dogs beyond the cinema field: In 2022, Patron, a bomb-sniffing Jack Russell terrier who worked with the State Emergency Service in Ukraine, was awarded the DogManitarian for saving lives by detecting Russian mines in Ukraine. The growing categories of the awards also exemplify the popularity of the festival. Its website states, “With sponsors, celebrities, and international media coverage, Palm Dog Woopets is now much more than a joke: it's a vibrant tribute to our four-legged friends and their unique contribution to cinema.”
