CANNES, France (AP) — The primary star to reach on the pink carpet on the 77th Cannes Movie Pageant got here on 4 legs.

Messi, the canine from the movie “Anatomy of a Fall,” walked up and down the Cannes carpet on Tuesday forward of the opening ceremony. Strains of tuxedo-clad photographers referred to as out “Messi! Messi” whereas the border collie strolled previous and climbed the steps to the Palais des Festivals. There, he sat and held his entrance paws up within the air, like a film star waving to the group.

For some 20 minutes, Messi had Cannes’ full consideration whereas frolicking on the carpet. His bark echoed down the Croisette. The pink carpet went unsoiled.

For Messi, it was a sort of return to the scene of the crime. Justine Triet’s homicide thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” final yr premiered in Cannes the place it went on to win the pageant’s prime award, the Palme d’Or. Messi — Snoop within the movie — gained the Palme Canine, a journalist-created prize for the pageant’s prime canine.

And as “Anatomy of a Fall,” wherein the canine’s perspective holds sure keys to the whodunit, continued by way of awards season, Messi emerged as Hollywood’s favourite new pooch and a very cuddly Oscar marketing campaign prop. He attended each the academy luncheon of nominees and the Oscar ceremony. “Anatomy of a Fall” gained greatest authentic screenplay.

Messi isn’t in Cannes only for an encore bow/bone. The pageant is taking pictures each day one-minute movies of Messi for French tv that shall be collected for a TikTok video. On Tuesday, he carried a digicam stick in his enamel.