Internet Cat Video Film Festival hits Dearborn campus

(Flyer courtesy of Lyceum at the University of Michigan-Dearborn)

By SHELBY ZUK, Guest Writer

It is often we find ourselves browsing the web to find some sort of distracting entertainment. We use social networking and games, but in recent years, a new trend has introduced itself to our online radars; cat videos.

On October 3, the University of Michigan-Dearborn hosted the Internet Cat Video Festival. The festival which started at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis made its way to the Dearborn campus after Charles Toeppe, former student turned staff member, approached Professor Jen Proctor about the idea.

“It’s a chance to show unusual, independent, and experimental films to the students,” said event host Professor Proctor.

The festival kicked off with a serious film about how cats lived and then sprang into a montage of comedic cat videos. There was everything from kitten trains, to ninja cats, to cats acting like alarm clocks for their human companions. Also, there were appearances by the ever popular Keyboard Cat and ever repetitive Nyan Cat. There was even cat film noir which featured a dramatic French cat bored with is repetitive life.

“This was just a fun way to kick off the festival,” said Professor Proctor, “it makes us wonder if this is actual art or just for entertainment purposes.”

The festival will be part of a series called Eat, Watch, What? that will be featured on campus once a month.

“The goal is to spark more interest in rare films and build up the arts here at school,” said Professor Proctor.

Each month, the videos will be focused on a different subject to cater to the thousands of videos and topics, and to cater to a wide range of audiences.

The anticipated date for next month’s show is November 6, which will feature a more serious Earth and space tone, with excerpts from the world renowned and highly popular Ann Arbor Film Festival.

You can find more information about the Eat, Watch, What? festival by liking the Journalism and Screen Studies (JASS) page on Facebook.