After the pandemic put a halt on the premiere, Adelaide filmmakers Mathew Salleh and Rose tucker behind We Don’t Deserve Dogs are finally bringing it to the big screen in their hometown.
Shot across 11 countries with glorious 4K cinematography, the film is a kaleidoscopic collection of intimate portraits of everyday people and the dogs that share their lives. From a well-loved street dog in Santiago, Chile, to a day of dog worship in Nepal, to former child soldiers in Uganda working with dogs to relieve their trauma, the film is a celebration of the love and loyalty of our canine companions.
Filmed entirely pre-pandemic, We Don’t Deserve Dogs is a wonderful reminder of a world before lockdowns, travel restrictions and border closures. Gorgeous Romanian mountainside vistas are contrasted with bustling scenes of dog birthday parties in the parks of Lima, Peru. A Muslim woman walks her dog through the dusty streets of Karachi, Pakistan, while children learn to read with the assistance of “reading dogs” in Turku, Finland.
Selected to premiere in competition at SXSW 2020, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the film went on to screen at high profile festivals including Warsaw Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Miami GEMS and Brisbane International Film Festival. It was released globally on April 9, 2021 and quickly rose to #1 on the Australian iTunes documentary charts.
Wallis Cinemas have picked up the film for theatrical exhibition in Adelaide, extending an initial screening run at Mitcham to their Mt Barker, Noarlunga and Piccadilly cinemas.
Director Mathew Salleh said: “In making this film, we wanted to explore not only the loving loyalty our four-legged friends give us, but also truly ponder the question of whether we, as humans, deserve the love that dogs can give.”
Producer Rose Tucker adds: “We are so glad that our film has found a home with Wallis Cinemas, and that our early supporters, family and friends back home will be able to see our film as it was originally intended – on the big screen.”
Produced by Urtext Films, We Don’t Deserve Dogs is directed and photographed by Matthew Salleh, and produced and recorded by Rose Tucker.
You can purchase tickets to see We Don’t Deserve Dogs here.
Learn more about the film here.
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