Dogs get gongs for big screen roles from Year of the Dog

The four-legged have been making a very big impact on the big screen – who knows, it might have something to do with the cosmos – after all, it has just been Chinese Year of the Dog. Canines have seen their visibility grow in cinema over the last 12 months, even prompting one prominent broadsheet to call for a doggie Oscar. Their headline said it all: “Dogstars … is it time canine actors had their own Academy Award?” As they noted, “dogs of Hollywood captured our hearts in 2018?”. Hear! Hear! Which brings us to a typically English eccentricity – The Fidos awards.

Until the arrival of that long overdue doggie Academy Award, dogs can duke it out for a gong in their own dedicated big screen awards ceremony The Fido Awards – For Incredible Dogs On Screen.

Significantly Fidos 2019 awarded dog performances in films released during Year of the Dog – 12 months which started early 2018 and ended on March 5th 2019.

Performances are judged in five categories. Historical Hound, Comedy Canine, Rom Com Rover, Blockbuster Bowser and Mutt Moment from these sections winners is selected Best In World. Judging the dog turns of the year are Kaleem Aftab from The Independent, Anna Smith from Metro, Wendy Ide from The Observer, film journalist Kate Muir and the Morning Star’s Rita di Santo

Aside from gongs for the standout dog performances, The Fidos also rewards good works. The FI-Dogmanitarian Award is for outstanding contribution to the fellowship between mankind and dogs. The Fi-Dogmanitarian Award was created at the beginning of Year of the Dog is now a fixture which honours those who honour hounds. The worthy 2019 recipient was Nikki Tibbles, the lady behind the Wild at Heart Foundation.

The Fidos principal mission is to award dogs gongs for their big screen efforts – efforts endorsed, as mentioned – by no less an organisation than the Guardian. “Year of the Dog saw more standout big screen dog performances than ever before. Key roles like Charlie in A Star Is Born and the totally canine Isle of Dogs come to mind.” said this respected broadsheet. Fear not The Fidos to the rescue.

Year of the Dog saw more standout big screen dog performances than ever before. Key roles like Charlie in A Star Is Born and the totally canine Isle of Dogs come to mind.

Thankfully canines can also win awards for there screen efforts at the Palm Dog at the Cannes Film Festival and its sister ceremony The Fidos – For Incredible Dogs on Screen – which took place in London on 27th February Both British creations. Being ahead of it’s time the venue is, of course, Hackney at the suitably hipster Hackney Coffee Company. Guest of honour was a lifesize creation of Chief from Isle of Dogs created in a workshop in nearby Hackney Wick.

Canines performances were certainly a trend picked up by the Guardian. “From Dogs – a new Netflix series about our relationships with canines to Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs via Italy’s Oscar-nominated drama Dogman, shaggy-dog stories have been inescapable on-screen in 2018. And, accordingly, pooch-themed fandom seems to have soared, too. Take Olivia the dog, the adorable westie that Viola Davis cradles in between dalliances with the criminal underworld in Steve McQueen’s thriller Widows, and who has spawned countless memes about her illegibility for the Oscars. Since the film’s release, Olivia has been identified as the same dog from the Jason Bateman-starring black comedy Game Night, released in March, sending the internet into meltdown.” Enthused the serious paper.

And how can we forget the dramatic pursuit of Pippin the Yorkie in The Meg? Truly a year of four-legged star turns in Year of the Dog. All the performances highlighted by the Guardian were recognised by Fidos nominations. The big winner of the ritzy night was Isle of Dogs which was represented by Chief and scooped Rom Com Rover before walking off with Best In World the equivalent of Crufts Supreme Champion. Bravo that dog. Bravo dogs.