Talk about underdogs.
This year's Newport Beach Film Festival features a slew of marquee names, from rocker Billie Joe Armstrong to "Office" star Steve Carell to Oscar-nominated director Lasse Hallstrom. But when tickets went on sale April 1, the film that sold out first belonged to a group of stars with decidedly lower stature.
Those would be the canine leads of "Wiener Dog Nationals," a family comedy by first-time feature director Kevan Peterson that will have its world premiere Saturday at the Island Cinema 7. The filmmaker expects a crowd of dachshund owners to bring their pets to the screening — the theater, for this showing only, will lift its no-dog policy — and they'll have more than just the premiere to celebrate.
"We can now officially say we sold out before Green Day," said Peterson, a Los Angeles resident.
As a lover of the breed, Peterson felt proud to contribute to the admittedly slim history of dachshund-centric cinema. Wiener dogs have had notable bit parts in many movies — Peterson cited Slinky Dog in the "Toy Story" trilogy as a favorite — but only occasionally have they scored the leading role.
