queerguru first fell in love with this 7 minute short film at Sundance Film Festival four years ago, and we have never forgotten it for one moment since. It is the delightful story of Irina Markova who has devoted her entire life to her passion of training her poodles to perform in Russian circuses.  She mentions a husband and a son in passing. but they play a very distant second to the dogs that will do everything for her.

The most bizarre part of the act is when she dons lion costumes on the poodles and pretends to crack her whip as her charges jump through hoops. 

This very affectionate portrait of this rather solitary figure was directed by Vince Malone, and never fails to put a big grin on everybody that watches it.