WE DON’T DESERVE DOGS is a compelling documentary about man’s best friend from Brooklyn based documentary filmmaking duo and SXSW alumns Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker that was to premiere during SXSW 2020. They work together on the film as a two-person crew with Matthew as director and cinematographer and Rose as a producer and sound recordist. The Official Selection SXSW 2020 Documentary Feature takes you on a global journey learning of how different cultures treat dogs in Chile, Finland, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
A contemplative odyssey across our planet, looking at the simple and extraordinary ways that dogs influence our daily lives. Starting with “Chino” AKA “Quiltro” AKA “Rucio” AKA “Coloso” AKA “Titan” a community dog that made a difference in different families lives within one neighborhood.
The documentary goes further with a heartbreaking story of former child soldiers in Uganda and how dogs made a positive impact on an otherwise devastating situation for the community.
WE DON’T DESERVE DOGS also takes you to a local pub in a Scottish town to senior citizens/ rehabilitation center showing how dogs unconditionally love and help with coordination and rehab.
Also interesting to watch in the film was dog walker on the streets of Istanbul. I personally didn’t realize there were dog walkers in smaller countries that are like the USA (which has the reputation of spoiling dogs).
The film is series of unconventional portraits of dogs globally including learning about the fact there are still cultures out there that eat dogs as an entrée. As a dog owner that was one of the harder moments within the film to watch.
This documentary shows how dogs accept you as who you are and how they can help so many people, in so many regions and in so many ways.
The WE WON’T DESERVE DOGS runtime is 84 minutes and the languages spoke throughout the documentary includes: Spanish, Luo, Italian, Turkish, Urdu, Finnish, Romanian, Vietnamese, Nepali, and English.
More information about WE DON’T DESERVE DOGS can be found on the SXSW Website: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/films/2023297 or on their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/urtext/.
About the Filmmakers Matthew Salleh & Rose Tucker
Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker are an Australian born, Brooklyn based documentary filmmaking duo. Their debut feature ‘Barbecue’ world premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2017 and went on to be picked up for a global release by Netflix. The film was the recipient of the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Documentary.
Their short documentaries have won awards and played at festivals around the globe. ‘Pablo’s Villa’ was the recipient of the 2014 ATOM Award for Best Australian Short Documentary, and ‘Central Texas Barbecue’ was awarded Best Short Film at the 2015 New York Food Film Festival.
Their films are consistent festival favorites, screening at the Sydney Film Festival, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival (Summer Series) and Melbourne International Film Festival – over 30 film festivals in the past 6 years.
Partners in life as well as art, Matthew and Rose have collaborated for over a decade. They work together as a two-person crew – Matthew as director and cinematographer, Rose as producer and sound recordist. Their films are often international in nature, and they have been fortunate to film in over two dozen countries around the globe. Making their films with a crew of two brings a unique perspective and sense of intimacy to their work.
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Source: Urtext Films, Matthew Salleh & Rose Tucker
