Felicity the Samoyed Steals the Spotlight at Cannes Film Festival

Published: May 20, 2025

The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival has had its fair share of actors, activists, and more stepping out for red carpet appearance has grabbed the festival's attention – a dog named Felicity.

French animal activist Julia De Cadenet and her SamoyedogMeat, and rescued the pup from a slaughterhouse in 2018. Since the 2025 festival began, Felicity has been rocking the red carpet in style, with photographers snapping pictures of her and her owner.

Felicity has become a fixture on the Cannes red carpet, making appearances at films including Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Highest 2 Lowest, and more.

De Cadenet shared that Felicity's origins were much more humble. She shared that the Samoyed was rescued from China in 2018, in a slaughterhouse that she alleged was killing cats and dogs to be sold for meat.

Working alongside other activists from the U.K.-based charity she founded in 2009 – called World Protection for Dogs and Cats in the Meat Trade, or NoToDogMeat – De Cadenet told the British outlet that Felicity's tail had been cut off in the slaughterhouse, but she and other rescuers were able to take 17 pets from the facility and safely transport them to a shelter in northern China.

De Cadenet said that she believed the Samoyed would only be living with her temporarily. "She ended up with me and I used to say to her, because she's very bossy, 'You are not going to stay here, I'm going to find you a home,'" the activist added.

Felicity is now living the luxurious festival life, making appearances at the star-studded event in part due to De Cadenet's background as a movie producer. The pup is also serving an important role as a "campaign dog," as De Cadenet has called her, as she helps to raise awareness about the pet meat trade and NoToDogMeat – as well as to help familiarize potential adopters with pets who have survived hardships like Felicity.

According to De Cadenet, Felicity's Cannes appearances also simply serve as "a bit of light-heartedness and great publicity for what we are doing, whereas normally we are walking among hell and suffering."

Read more about Felicity's journey and their mission to raise awareness about the pet meat trade.