Dog on Trial

Dog on Trial
Theatrical release poster
FrenchLe Procès du chien
Directed byLaetitia Dosch
Written by
  • Laetitia Dosch
  • Anne-Sophie Bailly
Based onAn original idea
by Laetitia Dosch
Produced by
  • Lionel Baier
  • Agnieszka Ramu
  • Thomas Verhaeghe
  • Mathieu Verhaeghe
Starring
CinematographyAlexis Kavyrchine
Edited by
  • Suzana Pedro
  • Isabelle Devinck
Music byDavid Sztanke
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 19 May 2024 (2024-05-19) (Cannes)
  • 11 September 2024 (2024-09-11) (France)
Running time
80 minutes
Countries
  • Switzerland
  • France
LanguageFrench
Box office$370,849[1]

Dog on Trial (French: Le Procès du chien), previously known as Who Let the Dog Bite?, is a 2024 Swiss-French comedy film co-written and directed by Laetitia Dosch, in her directorial debut.[2] It stars Dosch as a lawyer who defends a dog on trial.[3] It is loosely based on a real case in France involving a dog that was biting strangers.[4]

It had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2024, where it won the Palm Dog Award.

Plot

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Avril is an idealistic lawyer with a predilection for hopeless cases. She agrees to defend Dariuch's dog Cosmos, who has bitten three people, leading to the first canine trial since the Middle Ages. She feels the pressure to win the case, as otherwise, her unusual client will be euthanized.

Cast

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Production

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Dog on Trial is the directorial debut of French actress Laetitia Dosch, who wrote the film's screenplay with Anne-Sophie Bailly.[3] It is loosely based a real-life story of a trial in France which centred on a dog that had repeatedly bitten strangers. Dosch was fascinated by how the case had captivated the entire village where it took place, where demonstrators protested the fact that the dog was treated by the law as an object rather than a living being.[4] In the early stages of the film's development, Dosch briefly considered changing the subject the film after an encounter with filmmaker Justine Triet, who previously directed Dosch in the film Age of Panic (2013), and revealed to Dosch the premise of her next film Anatomy of a Fall (2023) which similarly centers on a trial, a child, a blind person and a dog.[4]

The film is produced by Lionel Baier and Agnieszka Ramu for Bande à Part Films (Switzerland) and by Thomas and Mathieu Verhaeghe for Atelier de Production (France), in co-production with RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, SRG SSR and France 2 Cinéma.[3] Filming took place entirely in Switzerland,[5] particluarly in the canton of Vaud, including Lausanne, Vevey and Gimel.[6]

Release

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Laetitia Dosch with Kodi at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival

Dog on Trial was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 19 May 2024.[7]

International sales are handled by mk2 Films. The Jokers Films released the film in France on 11 September 2024, while Pathé Films AG released it in Switzerland.[3][8]

Reception

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Critical response

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On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 27 reviews from French critics.[9] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10.[10]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 24 May 2024 Palm Dog Award Kodi Won [11]
24 May 2024 Prix Un Certain Regard Laetitia Dosch Nominated [12]
25 May 2024 Caméra d'Or Nominated [7]

References

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  1. ^ "Dog on Trial (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Cannes 2024 : « Le Procès du chien », de Laetitia Dosch, une comédie qui a du pif !" (in French). 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Lemercier, Fabien (22 April 2024). "Laetitia Dosch to travel to Cannes with Dog on Trial". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Oltermann, Philip (13 May 2024). "A dog in the dock and another doing red carpet interviews: why has Cannes gone canine crazy?". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  5. ^ Guillain, Marine (11 May 2024). "La Suisse déboule en force sur la Croisette". 24 heures (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  6. ^ Zuber, Sophie (10 September 2024). "«La Suisse, c'est trop beau! En plus, vous êtes hyperorganisés»". 20 minutes (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  8. ^ "LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN" (in French). The Jokers Films. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Le Procès du chien". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Dog on Trial". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 August 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  11. ^ Ritman, Alex (24 May 2024). "Palm Dog Award Won by Canine Star of 'Dog on Trial' While 'Anatomy of a Fall' Breakout Messi Looms Large Over Cannes". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Cannes 2024 line-up guide: Un Certain Regard titles". Screen International. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
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