NY Cat Film Fest and NY Dog Film Fest coming to Chicago

Cats and dogs will light up the Patio Theater

Cats and dogs will light up the Patio Theater

(Chicago — 2 April 2018) For those who love dogs and cats, a special weekend of films is taking place in Chicago. The NY Cat Film Festival and The NY Dog Film Festival will be at the Patio Theater on April 28 & 29, 2018.

The festivals celebrate our love for dogs and cats, illustrated through film. Each programs offers thoughtful works of art curated by pet wellness expert and champion Tracie Hotchner.

 
 
The NY Cat Film Festival

The NY Cat Film Festival is an exploration through film of the fascinating felines who share our lives, creating a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains. For far too long, felines have been the “invisible” part of the human-animal bond and it’s time to shine the spotlight on these magnificent creatures and the humans devoted to them. The fest will enhance our appreciation and understanding of how cats share our world, while benefiting cat welfare nationwide.

Saturday, April 28 — Noon
NOBODY OWNS A CAT (60 minutes)
The Patio Theater — 6008 W. Irving Park Rd., $10.00

Pure Fluff (4:00) Sean Skelton’s documentary sketch of a professional cat groomer in New York City, who shows how to tackle this combative challenge; Reunion (9:00) Megan Lohne’s tale of an animal psychic, who works his magic on grieving pet parents mourning their cat; Rescue (2:00) Filmmaker Lava Sheets’ self-portrait of the isolation and depression of a disabled woman, who realizes her devoted kitty, Apple Brown Betty, is consoling her; Jetty Cats (32:00) Sheila O’Rourke’s sweeping overview of cats throughout human history, looks at a long-surviving feral cat colony on a seaside jetty in Southern California and explores the debate about Trap-Neuter-Return as the best management for community cats; Winter Break (5:00) Rick Hamilton’s look at the thoughts of a school teacher who has only her cat for company during winter break; Amleto (2:00) Jeff Malmberg’s visual “poem” to the morning ritual of a Tuscan cat; Mittens from Kittens (4:00) Kim Best’s documentary shows how one woman was inspired by the nuisance of cat hair into spinning and knitting it into useful items.

Saturday, April 28 — 1:30 p.m.
LITTLE WORKS OF ART (61 minutes)
The Patio Theater — 6008 W. Irving Park Rd., $10.00

Little Works of Art (13:00) Kim Best ‘s look at Harold “Cat Man” Sims and his self-styled American Museum of the House Cat in Sylva, NC, which houses over 10,000 cat-related objects and honors cats as “little works of art;” Akamatsu the Cat (10:00) Ian Christopher Goodman’s documentary about life with a disabled kitty cat, Akamatsu, who was paralyzed but went on to live another 4 vibrant years with the use of a wheelchair; Portrait of a Cat Fighter (4:00) Graceann Dorse’s mockumentary gives a funny peek at an imagined New Jersey “cat fighting ring” run by little old ladies; Guardians of Recoleta (21:00) Blake & Adrienne Kuhre (who run their own non-profit cat rescue in Los Angeles) examine the community cats living in the iconic Buenos Aires Recoleta cemetery, and what became of some kitties removed by well-meaning American rescuers; Gus the Cat (5:00) Lisa Donato’s quirky film about Gus, a man who seems to think he is a cat; Scaredy, the Cat (8:00) Markie Hancock’s heartwarming documentary about a very shy cat who was adopted at the tennis courts in NYC’s Riverside park but avoids everyone except for a few choice people whom she eagerly greets.

 

A portion of every ticket benefits the Winn Feline Foundation, dedicated to the health and welfare of all cats.

 
 
The NY Dog Film Festival

The NY Dog Film Festival will bring dog aficionados together to share a communal experience of watching short films that celebrate the remarkable bond between people and dogs. And, well-behaved dogs are welcome to the theater to view the films alongside their favorite humans.

Sunday, April 29 — Noon
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE WITH DOGS (77 minutes)
The Patio Theater — 6008 W. Irving Park Rd., $10.00

My Trail Dog (5:00) Dean Leslie’s lyrical look at a man who is a loner who runs the Alps for the joy of it, with his dogs, who are his closest companions; Denali (8:00) Ben Moon honors Denali, his husky-pit mix; Walkies in the Wind (1:00) charming animated film by Toby Mattison; Biscuit (5:00) The most fearlessly athletic little dog you’ll ever meet; One Man & His Dog (4:00) is Dean Saffron’s look at one Australian man’s joyous skate boarding lifestyle with his Samoyed; The Mystery of the Arctic Cairn (54:00) John Huston’s thrilling documentary that follows a team of intrepid explorers and their four tempestuous Inuit sled dogs as they set out into the icy wilderness of the Canadian Arctic.

 
Sunday, April 29 — 1:45 p.m.
WHO RESCUED WHOM? (74 minutes)
The Patio Theater — 6008 W. Irving Park Rd., $10.00

For the Love of Dog (9:00) Kylie Cushman’s charming documentary that stylishly looks at the various ways British dog owners describe their love for their dogs; The Present (4:00) Jacob Frey’s animated story about a boy and his dog that will take you by surprise; Nobody’s Perfect (7:00) a touching documentary about an Australian couple whose pack of dogs each his own disability but “carries on regardless;” Awesome Living With Andy (7:00) made by sisters Patricia Denys & Mary Holmes, a documentary tribute to their darling disabled dog Andy, who does just fine in his canine “wheelchair;” Dogs in the Pen (12:00) Penelope Laurence’s documentary of a special program offered to female inmates to train shelter dogs as service animals; Steadfast Stanley (4:00) John Kim’s powerful animated film about canine loyalty; Pup Culture (10:00) Elle Marsh’s documentary about the delightfully odd ways that dogs are part of life in Melbourne, Australia; Love Unleashed (14:00) a happy-endings documentary by Kacey Klonsky about senior dogs; If I Could Talk (7:00) Ben Moon on the appreciation of a rescued dog.

 

A portion of every ticket benefits animal welfare groups to support their animal life-saving efforts.