The world’s #1 cat video festival is back in 2022 and this year it’s coming to Cape Town from 22-29 September 2022!
The International Internet Cat Video Fest is bringing the joy of cat videos to the masses and raising money for cats in need.
A brief background
CatVideoFest is a compilation reel of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and classic internet powerhouses. CatVideoFest is a joyous communal experience, only available in theatres, and raises money for cats in need through partnerships with local cat charities, animal welfare organizations, and shelters to best serve cats in the area.
CatVideoFest is committed to raising awareness and money for cats in need around the world. A percentage of the proceeds from each event go to local animal shelters and/or animal welfare organizations. In 2019, over $50,000 was raised for local shelters in addition to adoptions, fostering and awareness raised at shows.
By focusing our fundraising efforts on behalf of local shelters and organizations, we’re able to divert money and attention directly to the places and causes that need it most. We trust local people working on behalf of cats to know and understand the problems that need to be solved.
The 70-minute-reel of cat videos is family-friendly and can be enjoyed by anyone. The wide demographic appeal allows for it to be shown in virtually any type of setting – from museums to theatres to outdoor festivals and beyond. This flexibility means there are almost no limits to where CatVideoFest can go!
A teaser of what to expect
Catch the CatVideoFest 2022 in Cape Town
CatVideoFest has been seen in over 200 theatres in the United States and Canada, as well as over 100 theatres in Europe. This year, and for the first time ever, the festival is coming to South Africa and the cats of Cape Town.
Save the dates and venue
The Labia Theater in Orange street is playing host to Cape Town’s first-ever Cat Video Fest from 22-29 September 2022. Tickets can be booked online or at the theatre on the days of the screenings.
People love cat videos, and they love coming together for a shared experience. CatVideoFest is committed to bringing the joy of cat videos to the masses while doing good for the worldwide community of people working to help cats in need.
Stepping back in time
The first Internet Cat Video Festival (#catvidfest) took place at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 30, 2012, as a part of its Open Field program. Drawing an audience of more than 10,000 people (and a few felines), the festival was a communal experience for fans of the online phenomenon of cat videos and included submissions from around the world.
Selected from some 10,000 nominations, the program was divided into the categories of Comedy, Drama, Foreign, Animated, Musical, Documentary, Cat Stretch!, Art House, Honorable Mention, Lifetime Achievement, and People’s Choice.
The Golden Kitty award for best in show went to Henri 2: Paw de Deux, by Will Braden. What began as a social experiment testing the boundaries of online communities and crowd-sourcing public content resulted in attention from local, national, and international audiences and press, including the Los Angeles Times, Wired, Newsweek, Huffington Post, the New York Times, Boston Globe, the Atlantic, AP, and the BBC.
