Messi the dog comes to Cannes for an encore

CANNES, France. The first star to hit the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival arrived on all fours.

Messi, the dog from the movie “Anatomy of a Fall,” walked the Cannes carpet Tuesday before the opening ceremony. Rows of tuxedo-clad photographers shouted “Messi! Messi” while the border collie passed and climbed the stairs of the Festival Palace. There, he sat and raised his front paws in the air, like a movie star waving to the crowd.

For about 20 minutes, Messi had the full attention of Cannes as he frolicked on the carpet. His bark echoed across the Croisette. The red carpet was impeccable.

For Messi, it was a kind of return to the scene of the crime. Justine Triet’s murder mystery, “Anatomy of a Fall,” premiered last year at Cannes, where it won the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. Messi (Snoop in the film) won the Palme Dog, an award created by a journalist for the best dog of the festival.

And as “Anatomy of a Fall,” in which the dog’s perspective contains certain crime novel cues, continued through awards season, Messi emerged as Hollywood’s new favorite dog and a particularly cute campaign prop. of the Oscars. He attended both the Academy Nominees Luncheon and the Oscars ceremony. “Anatomy of a Fall” won the award for best original screenplay.

Messi is not in Cannes just for an encore. The festival records one-minute videos of Messi daily for French television that will be compiled for a TikTok video. On Tuesday he carried a camera between his teeth.