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Sled Dogs (film)

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Sled Dogs
Directed byFern Levitt
Produced byFern Levitt
Arnie Zipursky
Edited byFrank Cassano
Production
company
Distributed bySearch Engine Films
Release date
  • December 3, 2016 (2016-12-03) (Whistler)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Sled Dogs is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Fern Levitt and released in 2016.[1] The film explores the Iditarod, raising allegations of animal cruelty among breeders, trainers and kennelers of the event's sled dogs.[2] However, at least one dog keeper tried to obtain a legal injunction against the film's premiere at the Whistler Film Festival, alleging that Levitt had inaccurately depicted the actual dog care ethics of sled dog handlers, misrepresenting footage of an unethical commercial pet breeder rather than speaking to or filming companies actually involved in the care or training of sled dogs.[3] A sled dog operator also filed a similar complaint with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after the film was broadcast on Documentary Channel in 2017, resulting in a report by CBC ombudsman Esther Enkin.[4]

Fern Levitt, producer/director of Sled Dogs with dogs, Brody (Husky) and Odin (Collie-Shepherd mix). Photo: Jackie Brown

Awards and Nominations

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The film received a Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, for Best Editing in a Documentary (Frank Cassano), Documentary category, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and won the World Documentary Award at the Whistler Film Festival.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Documentary 'Sled Dogs' exposes harsh realities of Iditarod". Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2017.
  2. ^ "Review: ‘Sled Dogs’ Exposes Abuse of Working Animals". The New York Times, July 27. 2017.
  3. ^ "Musher threatens legal action over Sled Dogs documentary". CBC News, November 27, 2016.
  4. ^ "Point-of-View Documentaries | The Case of Sled Dogs". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, January 29, 2018.
  5. ^ "Apr 08, 2018, page T8 - Valley Morning Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  6. ^ Pat Mullen, "Canadian Screen Awards Preview: Picks and Foolish Predictions". Cinemablographer, March 11, 2018.
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