This Friday, the Palm Dog crowns the dog with the most bite at the Cannes Film Festival, a kitsch prize that has become an event, especially after the crowning of Messi, the four-legged star of Anatomy of a Fall, Palme d’Or this year. last. It’s Kodi, a cross Griffon, who plays in The Trial of the Dog by Franco-Swiss Laetitia Dosch who wins ahead of Xin, Jack Russell crossed with Black Dog, a feature film by Chinese Guan Hu, two feature films in the selection In some perspective.

“Laetitia Dosch told us “Kodi won’t have much to do”, but when I received the scenario I still listed 80 to 100 actions,” remembers Juliette Roux-Merveille, life coach at Dog Trainer, company of show animals based in Vendée. “Kodi didn’t know how to howl, we imitated the meow of a hungry kitten and it worked. He never showed his fangs, we worked on a bark where we could see them,” she explains.

With two great behind-the-scenes stories. Kodi, in real life, is a former street dog from Narbonne who passed through a shelter. And, the animal which appears as a stray dog ​​in the Chinese film was adopted at the end of filming by the main actor, Eddie Peng.

“In our criteria for awarding the Palm Dog, we are attached to animal welfare, we are very attentive to filming conditions, we find out each time,” Anthony Pruvost, founder of Woopets, told AFP. This French media dedicated to pets has been managing the Palm Dog since 2023. “Last year, the dog who won the Palm Dog was also in the Palme d’Or, but we didn’t cheat, our trophy is awarded the day before the prize list,” laughs the manager.

Messi has become a real star. After the Palme d’Or, the film won the Oscar for screenplay. The opportunity for the eight-year-old Border Collie to explode social networks during a luncheon of nominees with viral selfies taken by actors Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and singer Billie Eilish. A device with false legs was even installed so that the dog would applaud during the ceremony in Los Angeles.

This year, Messi returned to the Cannes red carpet, equipped with a microphone and a 360° camera to collect the words of personalities, with the help of French comedian Raphaël Mezrahi. We saw him do his show with Laetitia Dosch or the French singer Zaho de Sagazan, who sang during the opening ceremony.

This TV pellet, Woof! Messi at the Cannes Film Festival, was broadcast during the Festival on France 2, France 3, Culturebox and TV5 Monde. A best-of was also relayed on TikTok. Messi had competition on the steps, with Pilaf, American star Demi Moore’s chihuahua, popular with photographers. “Since the creation of this prize in 2001, its media coverage has been increasing, it is no longer just a French event and with Messi, it has taken on a new international dimension,” comments Anthony Pruvost. “At Cannes, the dogs were good again this year,” the New York Times wrote this week.

In 2020, the Palm Dog found a way to exist even though the event was canceled due to the Covid crisis. A special title of best canine performer of the last twenty years was awarded, posthumously, to Uggie, the Jack Russell who had charmed the whole world in The Artist. In 2019, Quentin Tarantino came in person to witness the triumph of Pitbull Brandy, Brad Pitt’s partner in Once upon a time… in Hollywood.

This trophy was launched 23 years ago by Toby Rose, British film critic. This year, on the jury, there are two film critics for publications from the United Kingdom, Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian) and Tim Robey (The Telegraph).