NEIL ARMFIELD DIRECTS CRAIG SILVEY’S GREAT AUSTRALIAN UNDERDOG STORY

For anyone aged 8 to 108, Craig Silvey’s funny and touching tale of the hoops all of us – human and canine – must jump through.

11-year-old Annie Shearer lives in the little town of Upson Downs with her best friend, a rescued stray named Runt. Runt’s a brilliant sheepdog – nimble as a pickpocket’s fingers and lightning-fast from years of eluding dogcatchers, police, and angry butchers.

So, when a developer threatens to bulldoze their house, Annie puts Runt’s talents to work in a winner-takes-all plan – triumph in the Agility Course Grand Championship at the world-famous Krumpets Dog Show in London.

There’s one problem: Runt only follows Annie’s commands when nobody else is there. How can she save the family home, Runt, and herself, with the eyes of the world on them?