The Hollywood Reporter had the scoop (but not the pooper scooper) on all things Palm Dog, where they revealed that this year’s top prize went to a border collie named Messi. Messi plays the dog Snoop in Justine Triet’s French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” and won the Palm Dog for his performance. This year’s Palm Dog event even had a corporate sponsor in the cryptocurrency company Dogami, which ties cryptocurrency with the concept of virtual pets. (I, for one, will stick with my free Neopets, thank you.)
This year’s Palm Dog jury created three new categories for doggy awards as well, including “The Mutt Moment” for best canine cameo, a “Highly Commended Canine” award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award. The last award went not to a dog but a human, the British director Ken Loach, who was celebrated for highlighting “the bond between human and animals and for canines in particular.” Loach also previously won the Palm Dogmanitarian award for putting three-legged dogs in his movies. Hey, anyone who loves cameras loves a tripod! This year’s Palm Dogmanitarian is Isabella Rossellini, who is being honored for her activist work on behalf of dogs.
The Grand Jury prize went to Alma, a mixed breed pup who plays Chaplin in Aki Kuraismäki’s “Fallen Leaves.” It turns out that you don’t need papers to win a Palm Dog! Congrats to all of the good boys and girls — I hope they get lots of belly rubs.
