The internet loves cats – that much is clear to anyone with an internet connection. They are featured in memes, cartoons, and especially YouTube videos (keyboard cat, anyone?). But just how much do people love cats? Apparently, enough for there to be a film festival all about cats.
The First (And Probably Last) Annual Boston Feline Film and Video Festival for Humans took place on “Caturday” Oct. 11 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge as the last stop on its U.S. tour. Hosted by Mike Keegan (who, ironically, is allergic to cats) and Jay Wertzler, the festival consisted of two hours of cat videos in front of an audience of cat-lovers meowing in excitement. Anyone was able to submit a video through their website. Submissions included vintage black and whites as well as animated videos and everything in between.
Four volunteers were chosen to judge: Holly, owner of two cats, who considers herself the step-mother of her friends’ and family members’ cats and enjoys dressing up cats and taking them for a walk in a stroller; Michael, one of the youngest audience members, who believes himself to be the owner of “the cutest cat in the world”; Heather, a cat video aficionado; Suzanna, a vet technician and another lover of cat videos.
The highly coveted prize for the winning submission was a Pooper Scooper D’or — a pooper scooper spray painted with gold glitter. Unfortunately, the award-winning submission did not have a representative present, so lucky volunteer judge Michael got to take it home.
Prior to Cambridge, the festival had a special engagement in Brooklyn leading up to NY Comic Con, featuring celebrity guest judges and the first-ever silent cat film.
Surprisingly, this is not the only cat-themed film festival of its kind.
The most prominent is the Internet Cat Video Film Festival, which will be coming to Boston on Oct. 30. This festival is much more centered on the mainstream internet cats we all know and love; Grumpy Cat was the winner of their biggest award last year.
Cambridge was the last stop of the season for the Feline Film and Video Festival for Humans, and as it was referred to as the First (And Probably Last), it will probably not return. Fortunately, there is no shortage of cat videos out there on the internet for any and all procrastination
needs.