Directed by Guan Hu and starring Peng Yuyan and Tong Liya, the Cannes double-prize film "Dog Formation" will be officially released in major cinemas in the UK and Ireland on August 30. On August 18 local time, the film held its UK premiere in London. Director Guan Hu, producer and chief producer Liang Jing attended the event, and actor Peng Yuyan also participated in the post-screening exchange through video connection. It is worth mentioning that the film "Dog Formation" was also selected for the non-competition section of the 2024 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and received many praise in a series of screenings in the UK. Some comments said that "this film is full of power and worth watching."
At the UK premiere event, the audience responded enthusiastically. The audience of the second film said that "the film has strong stamina", and the audience bluntly said that "it is very surprising, with expression and content, full of aesthetic value, and the composition and photography are full of film feeling". At the event, director Guan Hu shared his original intention of creating, "Time will forget many people, and film, as an art medium, has the responsibility to record and present these people. Many people who are not seen are still trying to live, and" Dog Array "is like a force, giving these people courage, helping them break through the predicament, embark on a new life journey, and regain a new life." Regarding the international screening, director Guan Hu said that the film has text ambiguity, and even if the audience’s growth and cultural background are different, they can still gain different feelings from it, hoping to promote cultural exchanges between China and the UK through "Dog Formation".
The movie "Dog Formation" won the best film in the "One Kind of Attention" section at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival. The dog actor Xiao Xin in the film won the "Golden Palm of Dogs" jury award for his outstanding performance. This time, Toby Rose, the founder of the Cannes Dog Palm d’Or, hosted the UK premiere of "Dog Formation". He once expressed his love for the film in Cannes. "The film" Dog Formation "is of great significance, and the director Guan Hu threw himself into the creation with the most authentic attitude." On the same day, the distributor also organized a special "Dog Friendly Screening". Many audience members brought their pets to watch the movie together. The warm atmosphere made the sincere feelings of one person and one dog in the film more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. After the movie, Peng Yuyan also shared his behind-the-scenes story with Xiao Xin, a dog, online. He praised Xiao Xin as a "real actor" because he developed a deep emotion with Xiao Xin, a dog, during the filming process, so he adopted a dog to live with. The dog is like a gift.
Since the film was screened in Cannes and released in China, its philosophical expression of the author and the lens language of great aesthetic value have won unanimous praise from professional filmmakers at home and abroad. The vivid story of "one person and one dog redeeming each other" and the healing core of "embracing new life" in the film have also brought hope and strength to ordinary audiences. It is a word-of-mouth masterpiece that should not be missed this year. The film has been repeatedly recognized in the international film industry, fully proving its artistic value and international influence. As the film has landed in overseas theaters one after another, I believe this story can bring hope and strength to more audiences to start again.