Red Dog

Red Dog tells the story of a kelpie that turns up one day in Dampier, a mining town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, during the 1970s. Belonging to nobody in particular, the dog becomes a fixture among the miners, who have come from many parts of the world to work there. He forms a particular bond with John, a bus driver, and when John leaves, the dog sets out across the outback to find him again. The film is based on a true story and on Louis de Bernières' novel about the animal.

Kriv Stenders directed, working from a screenplay by Daniel Taplitz; Nelson Woss and Julie Ryan produced. The cast includes Josh Lucas as John, Rachael Taylor as Nancy, Rohan Nichol as Jocko, Luke Ford as Tom, Arthur Angel as Vanno and John Batchelor as Peeto, among 26 credited performers. Made for about 9 million dollars, it took roughly 21 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for an Australian production of its scale. Stenders' first feature in this list, Red Dog was followed by Kill Me Three Times, Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, The Correspondent and Joh: Last King of Queensland.

Audience response has been consistently warm. On IMDb it holds 7.3 out of 10 from around 21,000 votes, and on TMDB it also sits at 7.3 from a smaller base of 442 votes. The two scores match closely, which suggests the film's appeal is not confined to one audience.