Now playing in movie theaters near you: 73 minutes of cat videos, for a good cause
Cat Video Fest is a 73-minute, G-rated selection of all things feline — silly, cuddly, sentimental and comedic — playing in more than 500 independent theaters in Canada and the U.S., including 10 Bay Area venues.
A portion of ticket proceeds benefit cat-focused charities, shelters and animal welfare organization. Since 2019, it's raised more than $1 million.
The videos are curated by Will Braden, the Seattle-based creator of the comedically existential shorts, Henri, le Chat Noir. His business cards read: 'I watch cat videos.' And it's not a joke or an exaggeration. Braden watches thousands of hours of internet videos to make the annual compilation.
'I want to show how broad the idea of a cat video can be so there's animated things, music videos, little mini documentaries,' Braden explained. 'It isn't all just, what I call, 'America's Funniest Home Cat Videos.' It's not all cats falling into a bathtub. That would get exhausting.'
Now in its eighth year, Cat Video Fest is bigger than ever, with a global presence that's already extended to the U.K. and Denmark. But for the first time, it has expanded to France, Spain, Japan and Brazil.
Screenings in 2024 made more than $1 million at the box office.
In the early days, it was a bit of a process trying to convince independent movie theaters to program Cat Video Fest, Braden admitted. But the cat lover, in partnership with indie distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories, have found that one year is all it takes to get past that hurdle.
'Everywhere that does it wants to do it again,' Braden said.
Current theatrical partners include Alamo Drafthouse, IFC Center, Nitehawk, Vidiots, Laemmle and Music Box. The screenings attract all variety of audiences, from children and cat ladies to hipsters and grandparents and everyone in between.
'It's one of the only things, maybe besides a Pixar movie or Taylor Swift concert, that just appeals to everybody,' Braden said.
'We're not going to run out of cat videos and we're not going to run out of people who want to see it,' Braden said. 'All I have to do is make sure that it's really funny and entertaining every year.'
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