`Dog Oscar`: Cannes's Palm Dog Awards Names Best Dog Actors of 2024

The main winner of Cannes' Palm Dog Awards 2024 is Cody, the star of Letizia Dosch's Swiss-French comedy Dog on Trial, who brought the Palm Dog home and probably buried it in the garden.  Griffin Cody plays Cosmos, an aggressive dog facing a lawsuit who becomes close to his defender (Dosch).  

Palm Dog's Grand Jury Prize went to Xin, a Jack Russell/ Greyhound cross, in Black Dog, another Un Certain Regard film centred on hounds. The film, directed by Chinese director Guan Hu, stars Taiwanese actor and singer Eddie Peng as a man tasked with removing stray dogs from his hometown before the Olympic Games.

Both Cody and Xing were in Cannes to receive their dog collars.

‘Cannes is a good place to showcase dogs because the French have a very sensible approach to dogs,’ said Palm Dog founder Toby Rose.

Rose created Palm Dog in 2001, inspired by his own fox terrier, Matley, who appeared in a film that was screened at the Short Film Corner festival. 

The first Palm Dog winner helped create an air of prestige around the award: Jennifer Jason Leigh, who directed and starred in The Anniversary Party, was accepted on behalf of her handler Otis.

‘Since then, dogs have become more and more prominent in cinema, and their roles in film have become more meaningful,’ Rose said.

For 23 years, the Cannes Palm Dog Awards have been recognising the best canine performances at the world's most famous film festival. Always a fun show filled with the best dogs, it has become a key part of the festival, and the 2023 Palm Dog winner, Massey from Anatomy of a Fall, has become an icon of the Hollywood awards season.  Messy wasn't ready for this year's Palm Dog - the border collie is currently reviewing scripts and holding meetings, journalists joke.