The Palm Dog, Cannes’ beloved, unofficial awards show celebrating the best canine performances across the official selection and various sidebars, has crowned its winner for 2026.
For many attendees, the standard of films in this year’s Cannes hasn’t quite matched previous editions, and this was also reflected in the number of prestige four-legged roles seen on screen.
But in Croisette conversations about potential runners, riders and rovers, one mutt kept wagging its tail. Yuri, the rescue dog at the heart of “La Perra” (literally the Spanish slang term for female dog), was atop many lists and on Friday she had her day, winning the top Palm Dog award at a special ceremony at Plage du Festivals.
From Chilean director Dominga Sotomayor and having premiered in Directors’ Fortnight, “La Perra” follows Silvia, a woman whose quiet life on a remote island off the Chilean coast is shaken by the arrival of stray puppy Yuri, who stirs in her a long-suppressed longing for motherhood.
But Yuri’s story extends far beyond the screen. Before becoming the film’s protagonist, she lived in a shelter run by Mirada Animal Chile, an organization dedicated to rescuing and caring for abandoned animals. During pre-production, a collaborative adoption and training process was carried out by the production company PLANTA together with trainers Nicolás Carrillo and Marcela Carrasco, who cared for Yuri throughout the entire process until she found a new home.
The role of Yuri as a puppy was played by Tormenta María, a young rescue dog adopted by a member of the film’s production team.
According to the producers, after filming wrapped Yuri a new family, where she now lives happily and safely.
Also among the top honors at the Palm Dog Awards was Lola from Clio Barnard’s “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning,” who won the jury prize.
Pervious winners of the Palm Dog include some of the most acclaimed canines from contemporary cinema, including Messi, the border collie from “Anatomy of a Fall” (later seen at the Academy Awards) and Brandy from “Once Upon at Time in Hollywood.” That year, Quentin Tarantino turned up to the Palm Dog awards to collect the prize himself.
