It's called the Palm Dog contest, but Friday's winner of the annual Cannes Film Festival tradition was a Panda.
Panda, though, is an Icelandic sheepdog who stars in “The Love That Remains,” from Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason. Always positioned at the tail end of the festival, the beachside Palm Dog ceremony comes a day before the winner of the festival's Palme d'Or is announced.
Pálmason's tragicomic film, which premiered at Cannes not in competition, follows five characters — Panda included — over the course of a year after the breakdown of a marriage. Panda is ever-present and very much part of the on-screen family and at the heart of the movie. Panda, who retains her name in the film, is Pálmason's dog and stars alongside his real-life children in the movie, which may explain the award-winning performance.
While Panda sadly could not be there to collect the award, a look-alike local pooch was on hand to collect the coveted dog collar along with one of the film's human producers. Panda did make a virtual appearance with an acceptance video, on a car journey through Iceland. She succeeds last year's winner, Kodi, from “Dog on Trial.”
This year’s awards marked the 25th anniversary of the much-loved event. Palm Dog founder Toby Rose explained that it has had more impact that he could imagine, becoming a fixture at Cannes.
“We honor the four-legged here just so they get a bit of their moment before the big dresses and the tuxedos take over,” Rose said.
Other prizes included the “Mutt Moment” Award, for stealing the scene. This went to a long-haired dachshund and a rottweiler, for their roles in raunchy biker drama “Pillion,” starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling.
Finally, the grand jury prize was awarded to mystical Spanish odyssey “Sirât,” for Jack Russell terrier Pipa and Lupita, a Podenco cross. The story follows a father searching for his daughter across the desert, accompanied by his son — and Pipa and Lupita.
Lead actor Jade Oukid was there in person to collect the award alongside director Oliver Laxe. She told the gathered audience that Lupita was her own dog, who had sadly died soon after filming. After the show, Rose added that Lupita would be immortalized with this prize: “We were so happy that we could celebrate a short life.”
The Palm Dog has seen many a famous guest come down to pick up their awards in person. Quentin Tarantino came in person to collect the award in 2019 when Brandy the pit bull in “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood” won. And, in 2021, Tilda Swinton attended the ceremony to pick up the prize when her own three dogs, Rose, Dora and Snowbear, won the award for their roles in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir II.”
Some dogs have become mini-celebrities in their own right, including Messi from “Anatomy of a Fall.”
