An Icelandic dog steals the scene in Cannes

The bitch Panda, which plays a role in the film Hlyn Pálmason, The love remainingreceived a special award for best performance in a film at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Panda is owned by the director’s father, who says the award has been a pleasant surprise.

The film received a very good reception when she was premiered at the Film Festival last weekend, but it is also the first Icelandic film selected in the Premiere category of the festival.

The film tells of the everyday life of a family that goes through divorce but a single team of actors plays in the film. This includes the Bitches Panda, which plays the role of the family dog. The performance was so good that it received special recognition of critics for the best performance of a dog in a film at the festival.

So much fun also wants Panda to be the director’s family dog, but in his reasoning for the selection, the jury says, Panda has played a central role in the family’s life with great art.

A true family friend

Pálmi Guðmundsson, the father of Hlyn, is the owner of the bitch, but he says she is a great family friend who participates in the whole family’s work.

« It just came as a surprise, but this is also a great honor for the director. He is a genius working with such animals as this requires a lot of patience, » said Palmi when a journalist hit the thread to him.

« It was incredibly fun to work with the dog in the movie because it doesn’t matter what she was asked for, she did just one two and three and was incredibly good. Those who know her it was also incredible to see the movie because she is really cool in the movie, ”says Palmi.

« The film is naturally about a family, but Hlyn’s children, ie the family, play the children in the movie that made everything so natural. »

Gets the prize for the second time

Unfortunately, Panda could not be present at the award ceremony itself in Cannes, as there is no small language to travel with an Icelandic dog between countries.

Instead, the deputy took the awards on her behalf, but the prize itself is in the form of a necklace with the inscription « Palm Dog 2025, ».

The prize is quite respected, but this is also the second time a dog in Hlyn’s film will receive the award. A dog in his picture Listen which premiered at the Cannes festival in 2022 also received the same award.