The Walker Art Center has pulled off the im-paw-ssible.
They amassed a crowd of more than 10,000 people last night at their Minneapolis museum with the sole purpose of watching cat videos. The event was the first-ever Cat Video Festival, held on the lawn of the museum, according to a press release. A screening of 70 short vignettes ensued, all starring felines. The evening culminated with the presentation of the prized Golden Kitty award, chosen by online voters. The award went to “Henri 2, Paw de Deux,” a film noir-style story about a cat in the midst of an existential crisis. The furry black-and-white is at wit’s end with his human owner — and the other cat that lives under his same roof.
(WATCH: Our Nominations for the Internet Cat Video Film Festival)
NewsFeed doesn’t pretend to be clairvoyant (and Henri wouldn’t give us any credit, anyway), but the Camus-like feline was also our top pick in our nominations for the Internet Cat Video Festival. He just perfectly embodies cats’ moodiness and ennui. He claims he has so much to offer, yet he claims he gets so little attention.
The Cat Video Festival had no such problem, though, receiving more than 10,000 online nominations for cat videos. Awards were presented in the categories of Comedy, Drama, Foreign, Animated, Musical, Documentary, Art House, Honorable Mention, and Lifetime Achievement.
(MORE: A Brief History of Cats on YouTube)
Cat-video celebrities made an appearance:
.@IAMLILBUB, surrounded by adoring fans. #catvidfest instagr.am/p/O-IB9cIupS/
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Walker Art Center (@walkerartcenter) August 30, 2012As did local celebrities like the Mayor of Minneapolis:
Cool cats are skipping Romney speech to see International Cat Film Festival @walkerartcenter #catvidfest
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Mayor R.T. Rybak (@MayorRTRybak) August 30, 2012The IKEA in the Twin Cities noted a special affinity for the Japanese cat Maru:
I feel like I should throw my support behind Maru - for all he's done for boxes. #FlatPackCat #catvidfest
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IKEA Twin Cities (@IKEATwinCities) August 31, 2012And just some ordinary attendees:
Some happy #catvidfest attendees. instagr.am/p/O-LuQjIutQ/
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Walker Art Center (@walkerartcenter) August 31, 2012We also noticed at one point this morning, the Walker Art Center’s website was cat friendly: there was a sketch of cat whiskers bouncing up and down the screen that would be enough to drive any cat crazy.
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