Icelandic sheepdog named Panda claims Palm Dog's top prize at Cannes

By Rollo Ross and Miranda Murray

CANNES, France (Reuters) -Forget the Cannes Film Festival's strict dress code: Guests at the popular Palm Dog awards on Friday used their time in the spotlight to roll around on stage and bark at the competition.

Dozens of people gathered at the Plage du Festival tent along the crowded Croisette boulevard to celebrate the film world's canine celebrities at the ceremony now in its 25th year.

Human guests sipped on glasses of wine and excitedly crowded around the four-legged attendees of various breeds, who seemed all too happy for the attention, if not a bit confused.

This year's award winner was Panda, an Icelandic sheepdog who stars in the Icelandic family drama "The Love That Remains" by director Hlynur Palmason that's playing out of competition.

Panda, who is Palmason's dog in real life, was not able to attend the event but recorded a video to accept the prize: a red banana with the words Palm Dog 2025 emblazoned in gold thread.

Past winners include Messi, the Border collie from Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall," who converted his star power into a French TV show, as well as Brandy, a pit bull belonging to Brad Pitt's character in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

Panda "doesn't really know yet, but I guess she will feel good when she has gotten this around her neck," said the Icelandic film's producer Anton Mani Svansson about the bandana.

"But she's a real earthbound star," he added.

Panda was chosen because of how central she is to the family's life in the film, joining them on hikes, in the car or at the mother's art studio, said jury member Wendy Mitchell.

"There are so many great competitors this year, but this dog is at the heart of the film," Mitchell told Reuters.

Palm Dog's Grand Jury Prize went to Pipa, a Jack Russell, and Lupita, a Podenco mix, who accompany a father and son on a journey into the Moroccan desert in "Sirat," by French-Spanish director Oliver Laxe, who picked up the prize in person.

Hippo, a dachshund, as well as a rottweiler received a special "Mutt Moment" prize for their scene in the Alexander Skarsgard-led kinky romance "Pillion" where they accompany their owner on a nighttime tryst.

"Hippo carries the film on her little legs," said director Harry Lighton in accepting the award. "She's the true dom of 'Pillion,'" he added, using the shorthand term for "dominatrix."

Palm Dog founder Toby Rose said that he often is asked why dogs should receive prizes for being on the big screen.

"It's pretty much self-evident for me - why would Jack Nicholson get a prize 'As Good as It Gets'?" Rose said.

"It's because when the camera's on them and they do whatever their role is, they stand out," he told Reuters.

(Reporting by Rollo Ross and Miranda Murray; Editing by David Gregorio)