Filming Dogs

A room full of potential stars. But these ones have fur. Filming Dogs follows a small scruffy terrier called Ra as she attends an animal actor audition with three other dog actors. Ra is thirteen years old and is running out of time to realise the fame her human, the filmmaker, thinks she deserves. At its core, Filming Dogs explores the reasons for their humans seeking on-screen fame for their dogs and questions whether it is for us, for them, or for some other reason.

  • Peta Hitchens
    Director
  • Peta Hitchens
    Writer
  • Madeleine Martiniello
    Producer
    Palazzo Di Cozzo, The Unmissables, Shore Leave
  • Shannon Owen
    Producer
    Miss South Sudan Australia, My AI Lover, Thomas Banks' Quest for Love
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    490 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    XDCAM
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Victorian College of the Arts
  • 2023 Setting Sun Film Festival
    Yarraville
    Australia
    Official Selection
  • 2023 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    Official Selection
  • 2023 Top Dog Film Festival
    Various
    Australia
    Official Selection
  • 2023 NY Dog Film Festival
    Manhattan, New York
    United States
    Official Selection
  • 2023 Heart of Gold International Film Festival
    Gympie
    Australia
    Official Selection
  • 2023 Bandung International Student Film Festival
    Bandung
    Indonesia
    Nominee, Best International Documentary
  • 2024 Melbourne Women in Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    Official Selection
  • 2024 Oakland Short Film Festival
    Oakland
    United States
    Finalist Best Documentary Short
  • 2024 Mendocino Film Festival
    Mendocino
    United States
    May 31, 2024
Director Biography - Peta Hitchens

Peta is an emerging documentary filmmaker studying at the Victoria College of the Arts in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. As an academic researcher (BAppSci, MVPHMgt, PhD) focussing on the health and welfare of animals used for sports and entertainment, she is inspired to make both engaging and educational films, and is driven to tell stories centred around social justice issues of both humans and animals. Peta has recently completed the short documentary ‘Filming Dogs’, starring her own dog Ra, this film originates from her research into the welfare of animals in filmed media in Australia.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Ra is a fourteen-year-old small fluffy terrier mix. I (the filmmaker) am her owner. She has travelled from Hobart, where she was born, to California, Sweden, and back to Melbourne, Australia. Over the last decade she has competed, performed on stage, been cast in short films, modelled for catalogues and online, appeared in TVCs, and starred in the animated web series Moments of Clarity.

I have conflicting opinions about Ra’s performing career; particularly around whether I am doing this for her or for my own ambitions and ego. My views on the ethical use of animals used for entertainment have evolved as I have watched Ra’s performing career progress. The concept of this film, a means of self-reflection through the stories of three other performing dogs and their owners, has grown off the back of my experiences with animals in the entertainment industries.

With this short, I want to explore the reasons for why we want to see our own dogs on the big screen, and why the bond formed between dog and trainer feels even stronger as a consequence. I hope to leave the participants and my audience reflecting on why we love to watch the magic of our own or other dog’s personalities come to life on screen, and to question whether this is the right path for them.