2019 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in the number of abandoned pets across the UAE. A figure that keeps increasing year on year. To raise awareness about the importance of adopting animals responsibly and humanely, we made a film that shows how an abandoned pet experiences severe bouts of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

In the UAE there has been a high incidence of people abandoning their pets. In December 2018, The Ministry Of Climate Change & Environment introduced a law making it illegal for owners to abandon their pets. This film was made to raise awareness of the trauma and anxiety abandoned animals go through.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

The casting was an interesting process. In order to achieve genuine reactions, we had to first look at the abandoned dogs’ possible reactions to footage of their previous owners, but when we were unsuccessful with our research with the shelters, we then looked at pet owners who had a strong bond with their pets. We scouted a lot of breeds, eventually leading us to Coco. When she was kept away from her owner for a period of time, then saw his face on the screen, she delivered the exact sense of recognition and shock you’d expect from a pet who’d been left by their owner.