Cats rule the Internet. From the original Grumpy Cat video with more than 14 million views, to countless cat memes, Internet goers have an undeniable fascination with our feline friends.
Minneapolis-based contemporary art institution Walker Art Center tapped into this cat-centric fan base by creating the Internet Cat Video Film Festival two years ago.
Drawing more than 10,000 attendees at its 2012 debut in Minneapolis, the festival’s popularity has prompted organizers to take it on the road.
The 75-minute film made its most recent stop at the Federal Bar in downtown Long Beach Friday.
The retro-style gastro pub hosted the event in its newly refurbished performance space, The Federal Underground.
The 300-person, speakeasy-style venue was packed with guests, many of whom were spilling out into the hallways trying to catch a glimpse of the feline-featured film.
“Catvidfest is a live event, gathering fellow feline fanatics to watch a curated collection of cat clips in the social environment,” according to the festival’s website.
Contrary to expectations, many attendees were middle-aged or older, with many standing in the back. The limited seats didn’t seem to bother anyone, however, as the videos often inspired fits of laughter.
Organizer and curator Scott Stulen pieced together 65 carefully selected Youtube clips and vine videos to create a fully produced film.
It featured such famous kitty names as Colonel Meow, Nala Cat and Lil Bub.
According to the event website, when deciding which videos to feature, the organization sifted through 10,000 online nominations and presented awards in categories such as Comedy, Documentary, Foreign, Drama and the coveted top prize: the Golden Kitty Award.
Last year’s Golden Kitty winner was William Braden, the creator of “Henri 2: Paw de Deux,” a black-and-white documentation of the existential musings of a French cat. Braden was present to host this year’s Catvidfest.
“Even though every show has it’s own vibe, no matter what happens everyone is going to love it,” Braden said.
This year’s Golden Kitty winner was the forlorn queen of the Internet herself, Grumpy Cat, who although didn’t make an appearance in Long Beach, appeared in Minneapolis with her owners Tabatha and Bryan Bundesen to receive her award.
“You have to be a monster to not enjoy cat videos,” said one of the festival’s attendees, Cal State Long Beach freshman Matthew Murrin.
Murrin said he was especially excited about being in a room full of people with the same interests.
“What made it particularly special for me was all of the people there,” he said. “It wasn’t just young people trying to have a good night out. They were there just to enjoy cats.”
Of course, you could watch all of the cat videos at home for free. However, Braden said, there is something about an in-person showing that makes this event such a huge success.
“The point is not just to watch cat videos,” he said. “The point is to watch cat videos together.”