The perfect event to watch cute dog videos while supporting a good cause
By: Allison Baldwin
Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, located at 505 Bloor St. W, presents the 2022 DogVideoFest (CanCulture/Allison Baldwin).
The 2022 DogVideoFest is a four-day film festival featuring a 75-minute-long reel of some of the year's funniest, most unique and touching dog clips around the world. Held at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, located near Bloor and Bathurst, the screening took place right between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, making it a great cozy event to beat the cold weather.
The film festival was created by the makers of CatVideoFest, and both festivals were founded on the idea of producing an annual event for cat and dog-lovers of all ages. The compilation shown on festival screens consists of many video submissions. Then, the film is screened in festivals in theatres across the globe, from the Music Box Theatre in Chicago to the Sudbury Indie Cinema in Ontario.
DogVideoFest was put on screens to raise money for animal welfare organizations and local dog shelters — and Hot Docs is set to donate 10 percent of the ticket sales to the Toronto Humane Society.
Will Braden is the creator of DogVideoFest and premiered the festival for the first time during 2022 after a few years of success with CatVideoFest.
For the first year of screenings, Braden’s goal was to get people interested in the event like they were with the CatVideoFest, while also showing something exciting and fun, he wrote in an emailed statement to CanCulture. “The charitable aspect is built into the DNA of the traveling festival. Having a local shelter as partner, to have a presence at shows and receive a portion of the ticket sales, is essential to the festival,” said Braden.
Braden also said that a huge part of the success of the festival is because it gives people the opportunity to do some good for animals while having some laughs for 75 minutes. With regards to the future of the festival, “as long as people want to see the dogs, we’ll be back!” said Braden.
As a loving dog owner in Toronto, I decided to check out the festival screening as a lighthearted pastime during the holiday season. I was thrilled to watch some fun dog videos and attend the event. I was also not disappointed to see the theatre full of fellow dog lovers.
As canines filled the screen, some prompting laughs from the audience and some prompting audible reactions out of pure cuteness, it was clear that the room was swelling with dog lovers.
The reel largely consisted of funny videos, from unlikely friendships to slow-motion fails which, without a doubt, made me chuckle.
A touching rescue story was included every once in a while with either stray, sheltered or neglected dogs. Their stories of recovery and finding a forever home touched my heart and truly moved me. Displaying the heartwarming stories of rehabilitations and transformations added a touch of sentimentality— a fitting contrast to the many humorous videos featured.
Moviegoer Josephine Liu decided to attend the event on her birthday because of her love and excitement for all things pets.
“I personally am pretty involved in the community through volunteering, and I think that’s just kind of the icing on top of the cake, because we get to watch something we enjoy, and then it does a little bit of good as well,” said Liu.
Journalist and editor of Musicworks magazine Jennie Punter came to the event with her family, full of lovers of all things dogs.
“Many of our dogs have been rescues, so we really support organizations that help dogs find a home,” said Punter.
The compilation not only made me smile and laugh but also made me want to give my own rescued shelter dog some extra love that night. The DogVideoFest is an event I would not think twice about attending and supporting again. It’s something I recommend for all types of animal lovers alike to check out for themselves.