N.Y. Dog Film Festival
2016
Rated: NR
The New York Dog Film Festival is a philanthropic celebration of the many ways to appreciate the remarkable bond between dogs and their people. Canine-themed films from around the world create a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains through documentary, animated and narrative films.
“Second Chances”
Harvey & Harmony (1:00) is indescribable.; There’s Something About Molly (7:00) First-time British director Sue Carpenter’s love tribute to her black Lab Molly; 989 Miles Home (15:00) Laurence Alexander’s student film depicting discarded dogs in South Carolina being transported by volunteers to welcoming adoptive homes in the Northeast; Game of Bones (10:30) Director Blaire Dobiecki (Melbourne, Australia) re-imagines the popular television series with a similar name, starring her own rescued Lab, Helen, as the heroine; Conversation With My Dogs (3:00) Humorist Merrill Markoe questions why her dogs follow her everywhere; David & Goliath (12:00) Director George Zaverdas based his period film on a true story of a Jewish resistance fighter fleeing from the Nazis, who takes refuge in a dog house where the German shepherd saves his life; Le Sauvetage (6:00) Peter Mcevilley’s faux-French tale of how dogs view us and bring us together – promoting adoption with the rescued performing Olate dogs. (in French with subtitles); Useful Dog Tricks (4:00) Heather Brook’s Terrier Jesse embodies “multitasking;” A Boy and His Dog (9:30) Jonna Mciver ‘s documentary features Owen – a very little boy – whose family adopts Haatchi – a very big dog – and how they make each other whole.
“Love Changes Everything”
Harvey Dogs Home (1:00) indescribably delightful; Fog of Courage (7:30) John R. Dilworth (an Academy Award nominee) made this animated horror/comedy about a cowardly dog named Courage; Looking for Love (3:00) Australian director Blaire Dobiecki stars her rescued black Lab, Helen, in a cautionary tale about looking for love online; The Lewis Lectures (7:30) Merrill Markoe’s animated depiction of what dogs actually think and do when we leave the house; Dog Years (4:00) Director Sam Hearn’s voice-over of a dog who questions his relationship with his frequently absent owner; Valentina (9:30) Spanish directors Crespo and Romera’s tale of an estranged couple and their Pug Valentina, who brings them back together. (in Spanish, subtitled); The Poodle Trainer (8:00) Vance Malone’s character study of a circus trainer, whose performing poodles are the center of her universe (in Russian, subtitled); Dine in the Dark (:30) Jake Shannon, an Australian student, made this PSA for Guide Dogs for the Blind to create empathy for living with vision-impairment; Second Chances (20:00) Director Steven Latham’s film about female prisoners who train dogs from shelters, changing lives on both ends of the leash; Petco Adoption Story (3:00) with roller-blader Bonnie Thunder. (dogfilmfestival.com)
