In this intimate portrait of destiny, passion, and loss, Irina Markova, a solitary Russian poodle trainer, reveals her transcendent relationship with her dogs, the childhood tragedy that sparked a lifetime of working with animals, and the welcome isolation behind the red velvet curtains of the circus.
Multi festival favorite, the Poodle Trainer received a special Jury award from AFI/Silverdocs, “for a film that packs humor and tragedy into a subtle and perfectly paced 7 minutes.”
Festivals include: Sundance, Cinema Eye Best Short, Worldwide Shortsfest Best Documentary, Grand Jury Prize for best short doc at GenArt, GrandOff Warsaw, Tiburon, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Cinema Corto, AFI/Silverdocs, Melbourne International, CFC Worldwide, Nashville, Calgary, Seattle Independent Film Festival
