Cats lend a helping paw to local movie theaters with film festival
Movie theaters have been closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, and now cats want to do their part to help save local, independent cinemas.
The Quarantine Cat Film Festival will debut June 19 at about 100 “virtual cinemas” across the U.S. and Canada. The participating venues in Florida are SunRay Cinema in Jacksonville, Corazón Cinema & Café in St. Augustine, Tampa Theatre in Tampa and Tropic Cinema in Key West.
The fest will include feline footage submitted by cat-loving movie fans that will be combined into a feature-length film produced by the owners of Row House Cinema in Pittsburgh.
The deadline for submissions is today. Videos can be submitted at rowhouse.online/cats and will be judged in four categories (cutest, funniest, bravest and most loving) for cash prizes.
“As we discussed the devastating impact of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders with other movie-theater owners around the country, we began hearing a common refrain: Moviegoers are at home with their kitties,” said Brian Mendelssohn, owner of Row House Cinema, in a press release. “At the same time, we saw the growth and innovation of virtual cinema. That’s how we cat-apulted into this idea to celebrate cats, our moviegoers and our love of cinema all at once, and to help raise revenue for independent movie theaters, who are deeply at risk due to closures.”
About 50 percent of sales will go directly to a local theater and can be purchased through a participating theater’s website or at rowhousecinema.com.
“Once a ticket is purchased, moviegoers will be sent a link and password to their email address, which will allow them to watch the film online,” Mendelssohn said in the release. “Many smart TVs and streaming devices allow quick and easy ‘casting’ from a computer or mobile device to a television, making ‘virtual cinema’ a simple, convenient option for every movie lover.”