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"When I've experienced films that are transformative I feel like it makes me able to understand the world better." - Elizabeth Lo

As a young person growing up in Hong Kong Elizabeth Lo was always captivated by film. The ability to take one on a journey through the expansion of their own understanding of the world around them is a gift. Lo remembered this lesson as she embarked on her educational career through film school in the United States. She has embraced such a gift and has been making it her own through short films that have explored multiple facets of the human condition.

Lo has shifted her attention to man's most trusted companion for her first full-length feature documentary. Stray is perhaps the most intimate portrait of the life of dogs that we have seen yet. It is the story of street dogs in Istanbul, Turkey, and how they live freer than canines most anywhere else in the world.

Turkey has adopted a no-capture, no-kill policy with street dogs (and cats) as they are taken care of by the residents of each community. The animals live freely among humans, fed by the residents in the communities in which they live, and are even given veterinary care paid for by the government. They are well acclimated to people and are not only not aggressive as a rule, but are friendly and will welcome a pat on the head or scratch behind the ear.

With minimal dialogue and a soundtrack by acclaimed composer Ali Helnwein, Stray does a commanding job of capturing the life of these dogs as they go about their business, free to follow whatever whim fits their fancy. Made even more engaging, the movie is also filmed mostly from a dog's point of view and even the audio frequencies were raised to a level more attuned to what a dog would hear.

I implore everyone to watch this incredible film. We can all take a page from Turkey and its treatment of street animals. If you are ever in doubt of whether dogs can live freely among humans your answers will be found in the movie Stray.

images from Elizabeth Lo - used with permission

stray movie website

elizabeth lo instagram

stray soundtrack by ali helnwein

ali helnwein website

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