Panda wins the 2025 Palm Dog award at Cannes – and a look-alike accepts
CANNES, France (AP) — 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 BDSM biker drama 'Pillion,' starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling. The scene in question involves the film's two lovers bringing their respective dogs to a nighttime tryst.
In a thank-you statement, director Harry Lighton described Hippo the dachshund's 'raw sex appeal' and said she's the true domme in 'Pillion.'
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.'
___
For more coverage of 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ananda Lewis, former MTV and BET host who publicly shared breast cancer journey, dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ananda Lewis, the former MTV and BET host who became a beloved television personality in the 1990s with her warmth and authenticity, has died. She was 52. Her sister, Lakshmi Emory, confirmed Lewis' death in a Facebook post Wednesday. Lewis had been battling breast cancer. 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' Emory wrote. 'Lord, rest her soul.' Lewis, a San Diego native, made a name for herself as a host on BET's 'Teen Summit,' which tackled issues facing Black youth and featured community leaders, entertainers and politicians. She landed big interviews with Kobe Bryant, Tupac Shakur and Louis Farrakhan and then-first lady Hillary Clinton, which earned her an NAACP Image Award. After a few seasons, Lewis took her talents over to MTV in 1997. She was a host and veejay on 'MTV Live.' 'Hot Zone' and 'Total Request Live,' a daily top 10 video countdown show. Lewis told The Associated Press that she felt some backlash after moving from BET to MTV. 'I wouldn't say in a strong way because I think most people who were in my fan base at 'Teen Summit' understand that growth is necessary,' she said. 'One of the main things we dealt with on a consistent basis, like the underlying theme of all the shows is you've got to get out there and live your life. The bottom line is this is about you, so how do you want to grow and whom do you want to develop into? My justification is that I say to kids: 'be your best and take advantage of every opportunity,' so I couldn't sit in a place of not taking advantage of an opportunity.' In 2001, Lewis told the AP that she wasn't trying to reinvent daytime talk with her new syndicated series, 'The Ananda Lewis Show.' 'There's only so much different you can do in daytime, which is what I'm learning. There's a certain way, I guess, people are used to doing things and that way's not going to change for a while,' she said. 'I think there's a formula, and some cases have proven that formula works. So the objective isn't to reinvent the wheel but to make it spin a little more smoothly.' Lewis' show lasted only one season. But a few years later, she became a correspondent for 'The Insider,' a spinoff of 'Entertainment Tonight.' Lewis was open about her cancer journey since she publicly shared her diagnosis in 2020. At that time, the disease was initially stage 3 before it advanced to stage 4 last year. She had been living with breast cancer for six years. Lewis said doctors recommended a double mastectomy, but she opted for alternative methods. She eventually realized that was the wrong measure, becoming an advocate for being up-to-date with mammogram checkups. 'I need you to share this with the women in your life who may be as stubborn as I was about mammograms, and I need you to tell them that they have to do it,' Lewis said in her announcement. 'Early detection, especially for breast cancer, changes your outcome. It can save their life.'
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
TikTok star Khaby Lame plays soccer in Brazil after US detention
SAO PAULO (AP) — Khaby Lame, the world's most-followed TikTok personality who left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents, went to Brazil where he's been spending some time with friends, local authorities said Thursday. Lame is staying with AC Milan player Emerson Royal, and has been enjoying time with local fans, Paulo Eduardo Dias Junior, a city councilman from Americana, about 78 miles (125 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo, told The Associated Press.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
TikTok star Khaby Lame plays soccer in Brazil after US detention
SAO PAULO (AP) — Khaby Lame, the world's most-followed TikTok personality who left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents, went to Brazil where he's been spending some time with friends, local authorities said Thursday. Lame is staying with AC Milan player Emerson Royal, and has been enjoying time with local fans, Paulo Eduardo Dias Junior, a city councilman from Americana, about 78 miles (125 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo, told The Associated Press. On Wednesday night, they played a friendly soccer match with locals. Lame left the United States after being detained on June 6 by immigration agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa. The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Junior organized Wednesday's match on behalf of the nonprofit he leads, Instituto Jr Dias. He said that Lame and Royal's participation helped collect 150 food baskets for vulnerable families. 'Emerson Royal is a role model for the children in our community, and so is Khaby, who is globally known through social media. He's a sensation among kids today,' Junior said. 'He had a lot of fun with the kids and played a lot.' The councilman said that the team that Lame and Royal were on won 3-1. Everything went smoothly, he added, except for the post-match celebration. As is tradition in Brazil, players gathered for a barbecue. But Lame preferred a parmegiana, so they took him to a local restaurant, Junior said. This is not Lame's first time in Brazil. Last year, he traveled to the country to attend Royal's wedding. Met Gala and then detention Lame arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and 'overstayed the terms of his visa,' an ICE spokesperson told the AP, which sent a message seeking comment Tuesday to the email address listed on Lame's Instagram account. He hasn't publicly commented on his detention. His detention and voluntary departure from the United States comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority. A voluntary departure — which was granted to Lame — allows those facing removal from the U.S. to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the U.S. for up to a decade. The 25-year-old Lame rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated 'life hacks.' He has more than 162 million followers on TikTok alone. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and also has Italian citizenship. His internet fame quickly evolved. He signed a multiyear partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022. In January, he was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Last month, he attended the Met Gala in New York City, days after arriving in the U.S. ___ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
