EVERY dog has its day but an entire film festival devoted to canines is something else again.
An event focused solely on the relationship between people and dogs, the Top Dog Film Festival started three years ago and is finally making its way to Launceston before heading to Hobart.
Festival director Jemima Robinson said the festival started small, with screenings in the eight capitals initially, but people kept asking for it to visit so the festival grew to 26 locations around the country for 2019.
"There are some committed locals in Launceston who kept asking us to come," Jemima said.
The idea for the festival started when Jemima saw a 20-minute film about people competing in team sports with their dogs.
"The film stuck with me and I started to wonder how many other films about dogs there were out there," she said.
"I put a call out to submit films about dogs and I was inundated."
The festival is the result.
"This year there are nine short films all about dogs and people, and how they interact," Jemima said.
They include the festival's own production, Odd Jobs for Dogs, where the audience meets four canines who play different roles, including a professional seagull chaser and a pooch employed by a real estate agent to show homes are pet-friendly.
Other films include a surfing dog at a California beach and the intrepid bus-riding labrador of Seattle.
The festival screenings have become popular events, with charities and organisations for each city attending the event to build awareness.
"We also try to have a dog at screenings. We've had a range of therapy dogs from chihuahuas to a Pyrenean mountain dog, which sheds light on different dogs," Jemima said.
"It's not just about dogs but the bringing together of a like-minded community."
Top Dog Film Festival is at The Tramsheds, Invermay, on August 16 and UTAS Stanley Burbury Theatre, Sandy Bay, on August 17. Tickets start from $18.
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