CatVideoFest: Cinema Akil to host a cat film festival in Dubai

The two-day event will show five films about or starring cats

A scene from the documentary 'Kedi'. Courtesy Kedi

Cat lovers in the UAE can rejoice. Cinema Akil will be hosting a special feline-themed event on Friday August 9 and Saturday, August 10.

The two-day event will feature five films about and/or starring cats including the 70-minute compilation reel CatVideoFest which features the latest and best cat videos culled from submissions and sourced from animations, music videos and of course, the internet.

Other films to be shown include the critically acclaimed Turkish documentary Kedi, the Japanese animation The Cat Returns, Naoko Ogigami's Rent-A-Cat and the French animated film A Cat in Paris.

“It’s Cinema Akil's first cat weekend and we are super excited. We thought it would be something really fun to add to our summer program. Most of us love to watch cat videos and we thought it would be special if we would add other films that would appeal to kids and adults alike,” says Luz Salem Villamil, the deputy director at Cinema Akil.

"Other than the CatVideoFest, we have a documentary about the cats in Istanbul and how much they impact those living or visiting the city, a feature film about a 'cat lady' and two animation films, one of them being a Studio Ghibli highly acclaimed Japanese anime film."

Here’s a preview of the films that will be screened:

'Kedi'

Thursday, August 8 at 10.15pm, Saturday, August 10 at 5.30pm

Kedi is a documentary by Ceyda Torun that follows the tale of seven cats in Istanbul. Some have owners, some live between homes and streets and some are feral. The film depicts the everyday interactions of the cats and interviews the people who love and care for them.

'A Cat in Paris'

Friday, August 9 at 5.30pm and Saturday, August 10 at 3.45pm

Alain Gagnol's A Cat in Paris is an animated adventure/crime film that follows the tale of Dino, a cat who lives a double life. By day, he lives with Zoe and her mother Jeanne who is a police officer and by night, he works with Nico, a burglar with a big heart.

'The Cat Returns'

Friday, August 9 at 3.30pm and Saturday, August 10 at 10pm

The Cat Returns is a Studio Ghibli Japanese animated film. It follows the story of a bored teenager named Haru who saves a cat from a busy road. It turns out that the cat is actually Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom. The two go to the kingdom where she begins to develop feline features. When she is prevented from leaving, she gains the help of others in the kingdom to escape and try to gain back her freedom.

'Rent-A-Cat'

Friday, August 9 at 9.30pm and Saturday, August 10 at 7.30pm

Rent-A-Cat is a 2012 drama comedy about a woman named Sayoko who rent cats to lonely people for companionship. Some of the renters include an old woman who has lost her husband and cat, a middle-aged man who moved away from his family for work, a woman at a reception desk who questions her existence and a man who has a connection with Sayoko.

Tickets are Dh56.50 per screening and seating is first come, first serve. To book tickets, head to cinemaakil.com