Each year, CatVideoFest curates a compilation reel of the latest, best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, classic internet powerhouses. Screening events take place all over the world in a host of venues and raise money for cats in need, often through partnerships with local cat charities, animal welfare organizations, and shelters to identify how best to serve cats in the area.

What better way for us humans to come together than by watching cats?

Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar

A 12-year-old boy befriends a mysterious young girl whose appearance in town suspiciously coincides with a horrifying series of murders in director Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of the book by author John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the screenplay. Oskar is a young boy who can’t seem to shake off the local bullies, but all of that begins to change when a new neighbor moves in next door. After striking up an innocent friendship with his eccentric next-door neighbor, Oskar realizes that she is the vampire responsible for the recent rash of deaths around town. Despite the danger, however, Oskar’s friendship with the girl ultimately takes precedence over his fear of her.

Accessibility: Closed Captions, Assisted Listening, Descriptive Audio

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson

While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man (Get Out‘s Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith, in her first starring feature-film role), are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people across the country.

Curated by Willy Hartland
Q & A to follow with many of the participating filmmakers.

John and Faith Hubley’s “Cockaboody” 1974 9:00
Two sisters engage in imaginative pre-bedtime play.

Michaella Mueller’s “Airport” 2017 11:00
Set in an airport, this paint on glass animation explores the borders of a person’s right to freedom of movement.

Bill Plympton’s “Xenophobia” 2018 1:05
Trump animated in his own words.

Lori Malepart-Traversy “The Clitoris” 2016 3:18
The only organ in the human body dedicated exclusively for pleasure.

Willy Hartland’s “New York City Sketchbook” 2016 13:00
A visual poem about New York City using the artist’s drawings.

James Blagden’s “The Best Last Best Plane Ride Ever” 2016 9:03
An animated recreation of the New York Mets epic post-game celebration after beating the Astros in 1986.

Bill Plympton’s “Putin Romance” 2018 1:18
Trump animated in his own words.

Pat Smith’s “Candy Shop” 2019 2:30
Pills and capsules animated in this commentary about our infatuation with prescription drugs.

Josh Raskin’s “I Met The Walrus” 2007 5:00
The film is based on an interview of John Lennon by Jerry Levitan in 1969

Bill Plympton’s “Bigness” 2018 1:00
Trump animated in his own words.

Bastien Dubois “Madagascar, a Journey Diary” 11:00
A tourist’s travelogue showcases the importance of death, dance and tradition in Malagasy society.

NoBudge is happy to present new work from a group of emerging indie filmmakers based in New York. These narrative short films are a mix of drama and comedy, often favoring the lighthearted and peculiar, like in Town Meeting and Exit Statement, balanced out with some heavier emotional material, like in Nevada and Bye Bye Body, not to mention the beautifully unclassifiable oddities of The Inconceivable Mountain and Allen Anders. For this edition, we’re also sprinkling in a couple of music videos to switch things up, Baby Little Tween, by Okay Kaya, and the experimental dance piece, TWINS “You must be related!” Six of the films are NYC premieres, and all directors will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A and Afterparty.

NoBudge is an online platform spotlighting the best in low-budget indie filmmaking. “One of the best places to sample what’s happening in low-budget cinema worldwide,” says Glenn Kenny of The New York Times. Its mission is to provide a supportive home for emerging indie filmmakers working with limited resources and without major industry connections, and to be a trusted discovery platform helping audiences find their new favorite movies and filmmakers.

The movies:
Town Meeting
Directors from Simple Town present.
On a drizzly day a long time ago, a group of peasants go about their daily lives while considering upcoming town gatherings.
(7 min)

Baby Little Tween
Director Adinah Dancyger present.
Music video by Okay Kaya.
(4 minutes)

Twins
New York Premiere.
Director Varya Rootwood present.
In this experimental dance film, a pair of twin sisters aim to reconcile a sacred bond.
(4 minutes)

Bye Bye, Body
New York Premiere.
Director Charlotte Benbeniste present.
Nina is fifteen and in her final week of weight loss camp. When, in her last weigh in, the scale doesn’t budge, she turns to desperate measures.
(9 min)

Nevada
Director Emily Ann Hoffman present.
On a weekend getaway, a young couple deals with a birth control mishap.
(12 minutes)

The Inconceivable Mountain
New York Premiere.
Director Daniel Witkin present.
A musicologist and her dog climb a mountain in search of an indecipherable song hoping to understand its meaning.
(16 minutes)

A Very JNCOS Movie
New York Premiere.
Director Zoe Katz present.
A day in the life of a group of JNCO Jean-wearing construction workers as they head to work.
(3 minutes)

Tasteful Nudes
New York Premiere.
Director Sofia Dobrushin and writer Emma Rogers present.
A flailing Artist and her obedient Muse host their premiere original photography exhibition attended by incensed critics and peers from their art world past.
(13 minutes)

Allen Anders – Live at the Comedy Castle (circa 1987)
Director Laura Moss and writer/star Tony Grayson present.
The fever dream of a 1980s stand-up comic who is either having a nervous breakdown or the best set of his life.
(7 minutes)

Exit Statement
New York Premiere.
Director Ben Kitnick present.
When a doomsday cult leader decides that he can’t spend eternity with his most aggravating follower, their plan falls into chaos.
(8 minutes)

The Letter
New York Premiere.
Director Eric Paschal Johnson present.
A little girl receives an alarming letter from Santa Claus.
(3 minutes)

Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (The Late Show) serve up their latest and greatest yuletide VHS finds

The Found Footage Festival debuted its first show in New York City in 2004 and has gone on to sell out hundreds of shows each year across the U.S., Canada and the UK, including the Just For Laughs Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and Bonnaroo. The fest has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and National Public Radio and has been named a critics’ pick in dozens of publications, including The Guardian and the New York Times. The FFF can also be seen in the hit documentary Winnebago Man and in the book “VHS: Absurd, Odd and Ridiculous Relics from the Videotape Era.”

Accessibility: Closed Captions, Assisted Listening, Descriptive Audio

Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Christopher Plummer, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell

Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in Knives Out, a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death. With an all-star ensemble cast including Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell, Knives Out is a witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end.

Accessibility: Closed Captions, Assisted Listening, Descriptive Audio

Starring: Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Eliza Scanlen, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Bob Odenkirk

Writer-director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) has crafted a Little Women that draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life. In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on her own terms — is both timeless and timely. Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.

Accessibility: Closed Captions, Assisted Listening

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sterling K. Brown

Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family–led by a well-intentioned but domineering father–as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.

From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times.

Accessibility: Closed Captions, Assisted Listening, Descriptive Audio

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina

Screening in 2D

The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.