Synopsis
Award winning artist and filmmaker Andrew Kotting adapts Hattie Naylor's curriculum, award-winning play, Ivan and the Dogs, for cinema. Based on the extraordinary true story of Ivan Mishukov, who walked out of his Moscow apartment at the age of four and spent two years living on the city streets where he was adopted by a pack of wild dogs. In the recession-ravaged city, the human world is dominated by deprivation and violence. When social breakdown from extremes of impoverishment, cruelty and selfishness starts to set in, a homeless child's only hope is to turn to feral dogs for company, protection and warmth. This spellbinding story of survival and need conjures the streets of Moscow in the 1990s through the eyes of a child. With innocence and fear, Ivan's perceptions of the world are beautifully described, from the acute awareness of hunger and fear, to the innocent understanding of chemical abuse in the 'empty eyes' of children and the ridiculed 'Bombzi'.
Where to watch Lek and the Dogs
All the optionsAvailable now in the UK:
Availability checked on 8 November 2026.
The essentials
- Runtime
- 92 min1 hour and 32 minutes
- Budget
- $500,000Salon Pictures
- Rating
- 15Suitable only for 15 years and over
- How long is Lek and the Dogs?
- 1 hour and 32 minutes (92 minutes).
- When was Lek and the Dogs released in the UK?
- It was released in the UK on 7 June 2018.
- Who directed Lek and the Dogs?
- Andrew Kotting.
- Where can I watch Lek and the Dogs?
- In the UK it is available with the Prime Video channel on Mubi.
Cast
Full cast (2)- Director
- Andrew Kotting
- Producers
- Paul Van Carter
Photos and posters
All 2 photosIf you liked Lek and the Dogs
-
The Wife He Met Online 2012 same genre -
Garbo: The Spy 2009 same genre -
9.3 City of Life and Death 2009 same genre -
9.3 Out in the Dark 2012 same genre -
Light of the World 2025 same genre -
The Forgotten Ones 1950 same genre -
The Ballad of Narayama 1983 same genre -
Struggle 2003 same genre -
The Custodian 2006 same genre -
Secrets of the Summer House 2008 same genre -
The Green Ray 1986 same genre -
Utama 2022 same genre