If you’ve seen the title CatVideoFest pop up at your local cinema, you will say, “What the fudge is CatVideoFest?” It’s a natural reaction, like how dust in the eye causes blinking or the scent of rancid milk provokes dry retching.
The avid cinemagoer might assume it’s a short film compilation about cats, in the same vein as the annual Top Dog Film Festival where seasoned filmmakers harness cinematic tools to tell compelling stories revolving around doggos. Or maybe it’s more of a carefully curated selection of real-life clips that generates a grander statement at large about the state of a given society, like how Dmitrii Kalashnikov’s 2016 doco The Road Movie, comprised entirely of dashcam footage of Russian vehicular disasters.
But don’t overthink this. CatVideoFest is a festival of cat videos, pure and simple. This year, you’ll be looking at 73 minutes and 30 seconds of non-stop clips pulled directly from the internet—most of them shot vertically, as the cat gods intended. The 2025 compilation features all the greatest hits: cats sneezing, cats falling in water, cats biting fingers, cats swiping at monitors with animated worms on them, cats that sits in boxes (only if it fits)—it even kicks off with a Keyboard Cat.
Here’s the official description of the event: “CatVideoFest is a compilation of the latest and greatest cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos and classic internet powerhouses, starring more cats than you can shake a feather cat toy at. It is only available in cinemas—you can’t find this compilation online—so make sure to catch our furry friends on the big screen while you can!”
It’s easy to be snarky and cynical about a festival dedicated to cat videos, but there’s an undeniable novelty in turning some of the most universal content on the internet into a communal experience. If you’ve ever shown a cat video to someone in your life (and, statistically, you have, approximately 274 times in fact), imagine that shared giggling experience blown up to a theatre-sized proportion.
Stats from CatVideoFest
Graphic of CatVideoFest’s world domination
And there’s clearly an audience for this strange beast of a thing, having started life in North America in 2019 before invading UK, Australia and Aotearoa. Since 2021, the annual fest has steadily grown more popular year-on-year, with plans to screen in over 500 cinemas worldwide by the end of 2025. This year marks the second CatVideoFest for ANZ, screening in more than 150 cinemas across both countries.
To end on a wholesome note, CatVideoFest also puts a percentage of ticket sales towards local cat charities, animal welfare organisations, and shelters. To date, the festival has raised roughly $150,000USD for kitties in need.
CatVideoFest 2025 is playing in Australian and New Zealand cinemas 2 & 3 August only. It would be criminal of me not to chuck one in the mix, so here you are—an exemplary display of comedic timing:
