“Brought Back to Life – Mutual Rescue” is the name of one of the short films to be aired at the 10th Annual NY Dog Film Festival at Gateway this weekend. Credit: Courtesy of NY Dog Film Festival
The inspiration for a dog-focused film festival coming to Gateway Film Center this weekend actually came from an entirely different kind of pet.
Tracie Hotchner, a pet wellness advocate and host of NPR’s Dog Talk, said she remembers attending a lawn showing of curated cat videos put on by the Minneapolis-based Walker Art Center roughly 11 years ago.?
“It seemed like a really weird idea,” Hotchner said. “They put up a big screen. Hundreds of people showed up for free, sitting on a lawn outside the Walker Art Center, just looking at random cat videos.”
Hotchner said she was inspired by the idea of a community gathering around a shared experience, but wanted the focus on dogs. She went on to create the NY Dog Film Festival and serves as its current director.
Ohio State students and Columbus locals can attend the NY Dog Film Festival at Gateway Film Center to view the two-hour medley of dog-themed short films, which will screen Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Founded 10 years ago, the festival includes animated shorts, live-action films and documentaries, all centering on pet dogs and how they improve the lives of people around them. This year, the festival will appear in 29 cities, including Columbus.
The event is as much philanthropic as it is entertainment. Hotchner said 10 percent of every ticket bought goes towards the city’s non-profit animal welfare shelter, Columbus Humane.
This isn’t the first time the dog film festival has appeared at Gateway. Earlier versions have screened there since 2019, according to CityScene Magazine. A representative for Gateway did not return requests for comment.
This year’s stand-out films include two shorts recognized for their portrayal of how service dogs transform the lives of veterans living with PTSD.
“One Mind,” directed by Les Owen, covers a specially trained service dog providing life-saving support for a struggling veteran. “Following Flame,” directed by Marc Jeffrey, follows Flame’s journey from being a herding dog to providing support to a veteran after transitioning to a service animal.
“These films help the rest of us understand that PTSD is an invisible wound,” Hotchner said.
Hotchner said she hopes the films inspire viewers to think deeper about the positive impact these dogs have on the lives of veterans.?
“It sort of fulfills my mission to educate, inspire and entertain, so you can learn about them and inspire you to maybe think differently about a veteran when you see one with a service dog,” Hotchner said. “Maybe you make a donation. Maybe you know of a veteran who’s suffering and you help them to get one of these dogs.”
Besides these shorts, the medley includes a wide range of genres, Hotchner said.?
“I’ve learned to curate the films so that it goes from really intense to very silly to gorgeous animation,” Hotchner said.
Unconventional stories can be seen in “Chocolate Retriever,” directed by Paige Meakin. This claymation short features a woman rescuing her dog from a misfortunate encounter with a chocolate bar.
Cathryn Michon’s “I’m Still Here: A Dog’s Purpose Forever” is a mixed-media film reminding the audience of the everlasting bond between people and their dogs. The story is told through both live-action footage and watercolor artwork adapted from the book of the same name.
Committed to appealing to a wide audience, the event was curated for a variety of different people to watch together, Hotchner said. She said movie-goers of all ages were kept in mind when selecting the films, so that adults and children alike might be inspired by the experience.
“There’s something about sitting in a theater and all laughing and crying together,” Hotchner said. “It’s very cathartic. It’s very powerful. They all have this huge heart on their sleeve where these animals are concerned.”
Tickets are $15 for Friday’s showing, $9.25 for Saturday’s and $11 for Sunday’s. Tickets can be purchased online at Gateway’s website. Students can purchase tickets to Gateway through D-Tix at the Ohio Union for $3.50.
