Rescue dog Yuri steals Cannes spotlight with Palm Dog's top prize

Cannes may be best known for its A-list stars, but Yuri the rescue dog stole the spotlight on Friday, winning the most anticipated unofficial award of the festival, the Palm Dog, for her performance in Chilean drama "La Perra."

Judges praised Yuri's naturalistic performance and her central contribution to the plot when picking the pooch, whose prize was a red collar emblazoned with "Palm Dog" on it.

Director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo took to the stage overlooking the clear blue waters of the French Riviera with another rescue dog named Apocalypse, who humbly accepted the prize on Yuri's behalf, to claps and barks of approval.

The Palm Dog, a play on the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, has evolved from a cheeky sideshow event to a genuinely coveted prize since film journalist Toby Rose started it in 2001.

NATURALISTIC PERFORMANCE

"La Perra," which premiered in the Directors' Fortnight independent sidebar, revolves around a woman living on a remote Chilean island who impulsively adopts a puppy named Yuri.

"It's not a dog doing lots of tricks. But it (the film) really shows the bond and how this woman's life improves once Yuri, the dog, comes into it," judge and film journalist Wendy Mitchell, wearing a hat decorated with small plush dogs, told Reuters.

Another judge, Anna Smith, film critic, broadcaster and host of "Girls On Film" podcast, said the depiction of Yuri in the film was also key in their decision.

"As a jury member, I'm always looking for a story where the dog is absolutely essential to the narrative," said Smith, who was similarly decked out in a dog-themed outfit.

Yuri beat six other competitors to take the top prize.

Another rescue dog, Lola, took the Grand Jury Prize for her role in the Birmingham-set drama about the lives of five friends, "I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning," that also premiered in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar.

"We are very strict in our criteria and what is a Palm Dog winning performance. The dogs over the years have been unbelievable," organiser Rose told Reuters after the award.

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 Uggie, a Jack Russell who helped launch a wider craze for the breed with "The Artist" in 2011.

-Rollo Ross and Miranda Murray/Reuters