Talking Animals: The curator of CatVideoFest talks about his career as a filmmaker and how he makes a living watching and selecting cat videos

Will Braden, filmmaker – and curator of CatVideoFest 2024, a 75-minute compilation of short cat videos edited into a fast-paced film that will be shown in theaters across the country, including at the Tampa Theater Aug. 23-25-27 – recalls what originally drew him to film.

While studying film – initially informally and later at film school – he realized that he was particularly fascinated by structures that were similar to his fascination with puzzles.

He had developed a love for movies and was well versed in films of all kinds. After graduating from film school, he headed to Los Angeles to explore the professional opportunities that the center of showbiz might offer. A move that was not unreasonable or unusual. Except that Braden hated LA.

So he returned to Seattle – “I’m a Seattle guy,” he says – where he tackled a wide range of film projects, including a wedding video.

But his fate revolved, appropriately enough, around a cat video he made. Or a series of cat videos depicting the suicidal actions and often disdainful comments of a long-haired tuxedo cat named Henri. (Portrayed by Braden's mother's cat Henry.) Braden explains that one of his “Henri” videos won a Golden Kitty, the top prize at a previous edition of CatVideoFest.

This is how his growing involvement with CatVideoFest began and in 2016 he took over the management of the festival, not only selecting the videos for each year's edition but also taking care of the business side, marketing and more. CatVideoFest is now in over 200 cities across the country, and a portion of the proceeds from each engagement goes to a local shelter or other animal organization—a long-standing element, Braden says. He goes into the informal criteria he uses when evaluating a submitted video and shares what he thinks is the ultimate cat video.