In the wake of the international media going absolutely bonkers for the Walker Art Center's Internet Cat Video Film Festival, I have some important updates to report. Due to popular demand, the Walker is rolling out the red carpet for the little fest that could.
From the looks of it, the cat film fest, scheduled for Aug. 30, was originally created on a lark – the Walker simply planned to take nominations for people's fave cat videos and then project them outside during an Open Field event. But after dozens of media outlets (from the L.A. Times to the BBC) wrote about the fest earlier this month, the event itself has gone viral (like a cute cat video). Read more about that here. With so many eyes now on the fest, the Walker has announced some additions, such as merchandise and an official cocktail.
Here's the new stuff you need to know about:
- Since early July, the Walker has received 7,000 nominations(!). The deadline is July 30. Nominate your favorite video here. The Walker will do most of the judging, but fest-goers are invited to vote for their favorite out of the top five beginning Aug. 6. The winner will be named Best Picture.
- The festival has a new moniker to better represent its viralness: #CATVIDFEST. For the audience voting, the Walker will accept live tweet-in votes during the fest (using the hashtag #catvidfest).
- They've made T-shirts! There are three, priced at $10 apiece. Buy them on the Walker Shop's website
- The Walker will be serving a signature cat cocktail, "The Cat's Meow" (Prairie Organic Vodka with cherry, pomegranate and ginger). For the kids, there will be alcohol-free "Kitty Cocktails.
- Ok, let's say you're too busy that day to watch cat videos on the side of a building. Don't worry, the whole festival will be viewable on the Walker's YouTube page (whew!).
By the way, here's my nomination for Best Picture:
Details: Open Field is free, 4-10 p.m. Aug. 30. #CATVIDFEST starts at 8:30 p.m. and will last about an hour. 1750 Hennepin Av., Mpls. 612-375-7600. More info: www.walkerart.org
(Cat photo credit: Katie Hill)
