The best videos on the internet will be appearing on the big screen this weekend. Cat Video Fest A choice of G ratings for 73 minutes Everything about cats – silly, cuddly, sentimental and comedy – it’s more than 500 independent theatres USA and Canada.
A portion of the ticket will benefit Cat-focused charityshelters and animal welfare organizations. Over $1 million has been raised since 2019.
The video is curated by Will Braden, a Seattle-based creator of comedal and existential shorts, Henri and LeChat Noir. His business card reads: “I’m watching a cat video.” And it’s not a joke or an exaggeration. Braden monitors thousands of hours of internet video to do its annual editing.
“We want to show you how broad the idea of cat videos is, so we have animated things, music videos, and small mini-documentaries,” Braden said. “It’s not just everything, but what I call “the most entertaining home cat video in America.” That doesn’t mean that not all cats fall into the tub. ”
By the eighth year, the Cat Video Fest has never been bigger and has already expanded to the UK and Denmark, with the first expansion to France, Spain, Japan and Brazil. Last year, the screening garnered more than $1 million at the box office.
In the early days, it was a bit of a process of trying to convince independent cinemas to program Cat Video Fest. But Braden, and Indie Distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories, have discovered that only a year is needed to overcome that hurdle.
“I want to do that everywhere,” Braden said.
Current theatre partners include Alamo Drafthouse, IFC Center, Nitehawk, Vidiots, Laemmle and Music Box. The screening will attract a wide range of viewers, from children and cat women to hipsters and grandparents and everyone in between.
“It’s a Pixar movie or Taylor Swift Concertit just appeals to everyone,” Braden said.
And the plan is to continue.
“We’re not going to run out of cat videos, we’re not going to run out of people who want to see it,” Braden said. “All I have to do is make sure it’s really interesting and interesting every year.”
