May 24, 2010 - 11:25 AMT
Serge Avedikian receives Palme d’Or

French-Armenian filmmaker Serge Avedikian won the Best Short Film prize at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival for his Chienne D’histoire (Barking Island). The film in highly symbolic, with the synopsis reading: Constantinople 1910. The streets are overrun with stray dogs. The newly established government, influenced by a model of western society, uses European experts to choose a method of eradication before deciding, suddenly and alone, to massively deport the dogs to a deserted island away from the city.

After receiving the award from the President of the Short Films Jury, Atom Egoyan, and the actress, Michelle Rodriguez, he said: “Thank you to the Jury for making this decision. I needed this award because I need to make other films on the back of this one. I’d also like to thank history because I feel like I make films which link back to my past.”