On the afternoon of 27 November, the film The Peruvian Hairless Dog was shown at
the FCI headquarters. We took this opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary
of this breed being recognised as a breed native to Peru, as well as the founding
of the Belgian club dedicated to the breed.
The screening was followed by a meeting with the film's directors and production
team.
Mr Pedro Alemant, one of the film's two directors, gave us his impressions at the
end of the screening and the questions-and-answers session:
“We are very pleased to have been invited by the FCI to show this film for the first
time in Belgium. We should remember that this is a very symbolic place for us, as
it is here where, inter alia, the welfare, preservation and health of all the world's
dogs, including the Peruvian Hairless Dog and its haired counterpart, are looked
after.
Mr Yves De Clercq and Marie Luna Durán, respectively the FCI's Executive Director
and its Marketing and Public Relations Manager, gave us a warm welcome, acclaiming
our initiative to promote the breed via this film.
Also present were the honourable representatives from such clubs as the Czech and
Belgian Hairless Dog Clubs and from the Peruvian Cultural Centre in Paris, as well
as other personalities and the local media.
Throughout this very pleasant evening, our main guests, two splendid representatives
of the Peruvian Hairless Dog breed, were also present. Both came from the Czech
Republic, the country with the highest number of kennels for this breed.
Screening the film at the FCI supports our work and is an encouragement for us to
move on further. "The Peruvian Hairless Dog" was shown at the UNESCO headquarters
in Paris on 7 November, as well as in leading cultural centres in Peru in February
and March 2015.
In August 2015, the film was invited to take part in the Lima Film Festival, and
in November 2014 was screened in its short version in the Latin American House in
Paris.
Following this screening here at the FCI, we intend to tour Europe, visiting several
major cities.
We have encountered a great amount of curiosity regarding this breed and its merits
on the part of the public at large and European media. As for breeders, their interest
is directed, inter alia, towards the dog's current situation in Peru, its history
and the technical aspects.
The film is proving to be of great interest to the Peruvian public, which is very
keen to have information on this ancient race.
This film has led several institutions to dedicate a large number of conferences
and events to the breed. Similarly, a number of associations have been created.
Nevertheless, a lot remains to be done.
Our work is currently motivating artists, archaeologists, historians, authors and
the media to focus their attention on the breed.
For example, three days after screening the film at the UNESCO headquarters, one
of the Ministry of Tourism's websites got more than 9,000 people commenting on the
film, and more than 3,000 people sharing it on the social media – a record!
We have already started to work on a second film. We will continue doing everything
in our power to ensure that this ancient Peruvian breed is preserved.”
He was followed by the film's second director, who had the following to say:
“For my part, I was very pleased that the work we did with Pedro was screened at
the FCI, the institution guaranteeing the protection and promotion of dog breeds.
At the time Pedro asked me to work on this film, I knew nothing about hairless dogs.
Looking through the shots he had already taken at dog shows aroused my curiosity
for this hairless, so-called primitive, animal. In the course of producing the film,
I met some great people, who spoke with such passion and respect about the dog,
and I suddenly understood why. There was something special about this dog. It was
not just its slender physique and its lack of hair. It had a bond with the history
of the country it comes from – Peru. That got me really excited and I wanted the
film to truly reflect the feelings of all these people. One of my nicest meetings
was with the painter Alberto Quintanilla. He immediately took me into his world
of paints, telling me about his first encounter with this mythical dog, whose origins
can be traced straight back to the creation of Peru. For him, the dog was an enigma.
When we finished making the film, we decided, together with Pedro, to make a sequel.
In our further research, we have found out several more surprising things about
this breed. We have a lot of excellent material, but we've got to keep it secret
for the moment. After the success of the first film which we financed completely
ourselves, we hope that a number of institutions will support this new project.”
Mrs Véronique Dirix, President of the Belgian Peruvian Hairless Dog Club, expressed
her delight in being invited to the film's screening and for the opportunity to
commemorate the founding of the Belgian Peruvian Hairless Dog Club.
This screening and the occasion to meet up with the film's production team have
been a great honour for the FCI, as one of its roles is to promote such productions
and to highlight people working to preserve dog breeds. This involves not just preserving
the animal and its natural characteristics, but also conserving and passing on a
whole cultural heritage to future generations.
We wish this film great success, and look forward to a second documentary (already
being prepared by the same team) dedicated to the breed!
© Alessandro Pucci
© Alessandro Pucci
Pedro Allemant with Christelle Van Welden from the French Peruvian Hairless Dog Club
© Alessandro Pucci
Pedro Allemant unveils the statue of a Peruvian Hairless Dog
© Alessandro Pucci
Pedro Allemant
© Alessandro Pucci
Sculpture representing a Peruvian Hairless Dog by the artist Diego Mánchez (sculptor and painter, Escuela de Bellas Artes de Lima), a present to the FCI museum from the film team
© Alessandro Pucci
(from left to right) Pedro Allemant, Marie Luna Durán and Yves De Clercq
© Alessandro Pucci
(from left to right) Pedro Allemant and François Darleguy, the film directors
© Alessandro Pucci
(from left to right) Pedro Allemant with Lucie Moskalenkova and Eva Linhartova from the Czech Peruvian Hairless Dog Club
© Alessandro Pucci
Pedro Allemant with Véronique Dirix and Carmen Bortels from the Belgian Peruvian Hairless Dog Club
Marie Luna Durán
FCI Marketing and Public Relations Manager