Taiwanese-born heartthrob Eddie Peng stars alongside a loveable whippet cross in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Prize winner, Black Dog.

On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang (Eddie Peng) returns to his hometown after being released from prison after a lengthy stint in jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the 2008 Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. Two lonely souls, Lang and the black dog play silent sentinels in a landscape of danger, and of change in China’s regions.

Directed by Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred), a Chinese sixth generation director usually known for big-budget action box-office record breakers, BLACK DOG is a one-of-a-kind crowd-pleasing riff on crime thrillers, westerns, neo-noirs and canine comedies, with more than a few nods to Mad Max and Easy Rider.

Featuring a cheeky starring turn from legendary Chinese director Jia Zhangke and a Palm Dog Jury Prize winning performance from Xin as the black dog, whom Eddie Peng adopted after finishing the film, Guan Hu’s foray into arthouse is a truly unique cinematic experience that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.