Under the radiant Mediterranean sun, the 77th Cannes Film Festival beckoned luminaries from all across the globe. Yet, it was a four-legged phenom, a nonchalant celebrity of canine kind that galvanized the crowd’s attention as the inaugural star to grace the renowned red carpet.
His name is Messi and he isn’t just any dog, but one of the unique highlights from the critically acclaimed film “Anatomy of a Fall”. It may have been Tuesday, but it seemed the world stood still as Messi confidently trotted his way through the familiar Cannes carpet, accepting the starry-eyed gaze and enraptured applause of the masses with an air of placid distinction.
The usually stoic, tuxedo-clad photographers broke into enthusiastic chants of “Messi! Messi!” as the dignified border collie made his way past them and majestically ascended the stairs to the hallowed Palais des Festivals. Like a seasoned star, Messi perched himself atop the sacred spot and raised his front paws, eliciting whirlwinds of camera flashes and rapturous applause.
For a spellbinding twenty minutes, the ebullient dynamics of the Cannes Red carpet morphed into a pedestal for Messi’s impromptu frolic. His enchanting barks echoed within the luxurious arms of France’s Croisette, while the red carpet beneath lay pristine, untouched by anything lesser than the pawprints of royalty.
The scene bore a sense of déjà vu for Messi, a triumphant exhibit of things coming full circle. In the previous year’s edition of the festival, “Anatomy of a Fall”, the drama in which Messi starred as ‘Snoop’, had bagged the coveted Palme d’Or award. Messi had been celebrated too, with the ‘Palm Dog’ award in recognition of his life-like performance in the murder mystery drama.
Fast forward a year, and Messi’s star only seems to have been on the rise. His critical character in the whodunit, offering key perspectives to unravel the mysterious plot, made him an overnight sensation among the Hollywood fraternity and a soft-spoken weapon in the movie’s successful Oscar campaign. On top of this, “Anatomy of a Fall” was awarded the ‘Best Original Screenplay’ at the Oscars.
Cannes is all too pleased to have Messi back, and this time, it’s not just for a congratulatory wave or an encore bow. The festival commemorated his return with the filming of daily one-minute vignettes for French television, which are set to coalesce into a singular TikTok video. In a fitting tribute to his fame, Messi, on Tuesday, was seen proudly bearing a camera stick in his teeth, fully immersed in his stardom.
