The Last Dogs of Winter

Costa Botes takes us far far north of his native New Zealand for this magical documentary about mans fourlegged friends Brian Ladoon is an eccentric lonewolf Canadian who has dedicated his life to saving the extinctionthreatened Qimmiq a species of canine used by local Inuits for centuries as huntinghounds but now abandoned in favour of motorised skidoos The snowy wilds of remote northern Manitoba make for a stirringly picturesque backdrop for footage of the rugged but irresistibly cute Qimmiq not to mention the polar bears who occasionally amble by Doing their best to make an impact among such furry scene stealers are the crustily ornery Ladoon and his unflappably laidback younger Kiwi assistant former teenTV pinup Caleb Ross