WINNER Best International Documentary Hot Docs Intl Film Fest

"Elizabeth Lo's sharp-eyed study of Istanbul strays is both the ultimate love letter to dogs and a multifaceted moral inquiry into humanity"
  —Variety

"Lo's artful, intimate doc joins a growing body of indelible nonfiction film...that address the mystery of human-animal relationships and the need to reconsider our assumptions
  —Hollywood Reporter

"Strangely beautiful... powerful for its restraint"
  —Screen International

While our theater is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, you can still watch newly released independent and international films at FACETS.

By purchasing a "ticket" to one of our Virtual Cinema screenings, you help support FACETS mission and filmmakers from around the world who do so much to enrich our shared film culture.

Need help? Check out our FAQs

Through the eyes of three homeless dogs wandering the streets of Istanbul, Stray explores what it means to live as a being without status or security. As they search for food and shelter, Zeytin, Nazar and Kartal embark on inconspicuous journeys throughout Turkish society, enabling us to see an unvarnished portrait of human life, as well as their own canine culture. Zeytin, fiercely independent, embarks on solitary adventures through the city at night; Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her; while Kartal, a shy puppy living on the outskirts of a construction site, finds refuge with the security guards who care for her. Their disparate lives intersect when they each form intimate bonds with a group of young Syrians who share the streets with them.

Filmmaker Elizabeth Lo observes the shared resilience and bond between the young men and their canine friends, subtly asking questions on how society treats the most vulnerable in this unusual documentary. Whether they lead us into bustling streets or decrepit ruins, the gaze of these strays act as windows into the overlooked corners of society: women in loveless marriages, protesters without arms, refugees without sanctuary.

Stray is a critical observation of human civilization through the unfamiliar gaze of dogs and a sensory voyage into new ways of seeing. Through their canine eyes, we are shown a human world ruptured by divisions along class, ethnic, and gender lines.

Directed by Elizabeth Lo, U.S.A., 2020, 73 mins.

Help us sustain our mission during the COVID-19 pandemic by becoming a FACETS Member for $10/month or by giving a tax-deductible donation today.