Contenders compete for Cannes top dog award

Never mind which film will take home the top Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year, the real competition is for the top dog prize.

Contenders in the Palm Dog Awards are vying for the title that is a yearly event at the festival in the French Riviera resort.

But this year's competition seems to be a little more morbid than usual.

Three of its contenders - the dogs from Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt and Ben Wheatley's Sightseers - were dramatically killed off in each film.

Palm Dog organiser Toby Rose told Screen magazine: "It might be said that this year the theme for dogs is RIP - Rover in Peace - as hounds continue a tradition of making the ultimate sacrifice for their art.

"But though they die on-screen deaths, viewers can be assured the animals were not harmed in any of the scenes."

Bonnie Wright, better known as Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter films, has been enlisted as the pin-up girl for this year's awards, which take place at the UK Film Centre.

Rose, who has renamed this year's event the Diamond Jubilee Palm Dog 2012, said organisers could not promise unsuccessful dogs would escape emotionally unscathed.

"Sadly, the Palm Dog team cannot guarantee that nominees that do not scoop prizes will not be left without bruised feelings," he said.

PA