Red Dog has continued its winning streak with its canine star, Koko, taking out the award for Best Dog in a Foreign Film at the Golden Collar Awards in Los Angeles.
Red Dog, the story of the Pilbara wanderer, was both a critical and box office success, picking up seven IF Awards including Best Feature and Best Actor for Koko’s human co-star, Josh Lucas, though this is the first nomination and award for the kelpie.
The film’s producer Nelson Woss (Ned Kelly) said: “This win has cemented Koko’s status as cinema’s top dog. I am very proud that Koko has finally won an acting award, which recognises his terrific performance and contribution to the film.”
This award is just the latest in international recognition for the film, which has screened at film festivals all over the world, from Berlin to Busan, and which, in October, took out the $100,000 Grand Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis.
Koko wasn’t present at the awards ceremony, which took place in Los Angeles on Monday evening (February 13), but the film’s writer, Daniel Taplitz, was on hand to accept the award on his behalf.
The highest grossing Australian film of 2011 and the eighth highest grossing of all time, Red Dog will be released in UK cinemas on February 24 with an American release scheduled for later in 2012. The film, directed by Kriv Stenders, grossed more than $21 million in Australia.