From its humble beginnings in Australia, celebrating the extraordinary connection between dogs and their humans through indie films, this global event is planting its paws in Santa Cruz.
Top Dog Film Festival launched in 2017 as a curated series of short inspirational films ranging from heartwarming human interest stories to heart-racing adventure-based features. When local event producer Kathy Ferraro—best known for Ocean Film, She Adventures and Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour—was introduced to the festival curator in 2019 she jumped at the opportunity to get on board.
Touched by the many ways we have come to rely on our furry four-leggeds, Ferraro’s aim was clear: “I just wanted to share that human connection that we all have with dogs.” With the distribution channel from Australia to Santa Cruz already in place, Ferraro describes the journey of the idea from the Outback to the Rio Theatre marquee. “When I met Jemima, I said to Lawrence [the owner of the Rio], who had been screening films with me for quite a while, let’s bring Top Dog.
“And he had just adopted a dog. We both knew dogs were going to be an important part in so many people’s lives, and it would be a hit in Santa Cruz. So we brought it in 2020. We sold it out the week before our screening.”
The first screening was on March 13, 2020. The Rio Theatre shut down on March 12. But Ferraro went back to the audience—some people had already gotten a refund—with a solution. The team would deliver this virtually. So, Ferraro sent a link out to everyone who had purchased a ticket and proceeded to sell 200 more.
She credits the strong response for growing their numbers. The event has been selling out each year since, with a portion of every ticket going to support a local nonprofit. “We felt it was important to collaborate with a nonprofit, and so a portion of the proceeds benefit Santa Cruz Animal Shelter.”
The night of the festival, neighboring brewpub Sante Adairius (home to Bookie’s Pizza) is hosting a Yappy Hour at the Water Street brewery for the more social dogs before the screening. A portion of the evening’s beer sales will go to the shelter.
Ferraro describes the lineup of films as emotionally engaging throughout—laugh-out-loud funny, naturally awe-inspiring and sometimes deeply touching. Titles and descriptions can be found on the Rio website. She recounts one of the early films starring a dog trained to recognize epilepsy before it happens.
“It features a young boy who has epilepsy and his family trying to find ways that they could predict when he was at risk of a seizure, and the dog would come alert the parents. There are so many ways dogs help people.”
Looking forward, Ferraro says the Australia-based festival is looking to expand further into the U.S, an idea she embraces. “So far I only do Santa Cruz, but at this stage of my life, I could see taking Top Dog to new communities similar sized to ours. These films allow the audience to reflect on how much their pet brings to their life. You go away with a warm, fuzzy feeling.”
The Top Dog festival was the first screening at the Rio when the theater reopened after Covid.
“We did two back-to-back, with only like 100 people,” Ferraro recalls. “The theater holds 650. I think that the camaraderie was so strong. We were all dog lovers, obviously.
“These films attract a diverse audience,” she says. “We get a lot of people connected to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. Or they come out just to support the animal shelter, and they walk away going ‘wow, that was great, those films are awesome.’”
The Top Dog Film Festival plays twice, 7 and 10pm, on March 22 at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, Tickets: $21. For information, visit riotheatre.com.
