The NY Cat And Dog Film Festival Comes To Larkspur

For those who love cats and dogs, a special weekend of films is taking place in Larkspur next month. The NY Cat Film Festival and The NY Dog Film Festival will be at the Lark Theater on February 16 and 18. Showtimes and programs are listed below.

The festivals celebrate our love for cats and dogs, illustrated through film. Unlike Internet video festivals, these programs are works of art, thoughtfully curated by pet wellness expert and champion, Tracie Hotchner.

The NY Cat Film Festival

The NY Cat Film Festival is an exploration through film of the fascinating felines who share our lives, creating a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains. For far too long, cats have been the "invisible" part of the human-animal bond and it's time to shine the spotlight on these magnificent creatures and the humans devoted to them.

The NY Cat Film Festival enhances our appreciation and understanding of how cats share our world, while benefiting cat welfare nationwide.

Dates and Times:

Saturday, February 16 at 3:30pm

A double feature program of delightful shorts begins

3:30pm "Cats Rule" (1 hour, 7 minutes)

4:45pm "Feral Love" (1 hour, 17 minutes)

Location:

Lark Theater

549 Magnolia Avenue

Larkspur, CA 94939

Cost: $15.00 for double feature

A portion of every ticket benefits Marin Humane www.marinhumane.org

To purchase tickets or for more information: http://larktheater.net

The NY Dog Film Festival will bring dog aficionados together to share a communal experience of watching short films that celebrate the remarkable bond between people and dogs.

The NY Dog Film Festival celebrates the love between dogs and their people, while giving a portion of every ticket to animal welfare groups to support their animal life-saving efforts.

Dates and Times:

Monday, February 18 with screenings at 1pm and 3pm

Program:

1pm: "Every Dog Has His Day" (1 hour, 16 minutes)

3pm: "Love Makes the World go Round" (1 hour, 13 minutes)

Location:

Lark Theater

549 Magnolia Avenue

Larkspur, CA 94939

Cost: $10.00 for each program , $15 with dog

A portion of every ticket benefits Marin Humane www.marinhumane.org

To purchase tickets or for more information: http://larktheater.net

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS:

The NY Cat Film Festival

PROGRAM #1 "Cats Rule" (1 hour, 7 minutes)

Beth is Not a Cat (3 min) - Created by MARCUS, a charming comparison of Beth (not a cat, but looking like one) and a real orange tabby cat; Marnie the Cat Guru (2 min) - Anca Vlasan's philosophical tabby cat expounds on the meaning of life and happiness; Cat Anatomy (4 min) - Kim Best explores the nicknames children assign to various parts of a cat; Elvis Cat: The Stray Crooner (3 min) - Jessi Almstead's puppet mockumentary; Cat Nation: a Film About Japan's Crazy Cat Culture (26 min) - Tim Delmastro's documentary about Japan's extraordinary love of kitty cats; Instagram Cat Mom (5 min) - Jess Spawn's mockumentary takes us behind the scenes to see the lengths people might go for the purrfect photo to post online; Samantha and the Rock Cats (11 min) - Jacob Feiring's documentary follows a woman who travels the country with her cat show; Off for the Weekend (11 min) - Brittany Severances' funny story of a young woman's challenges proving her independence from her mother with a weekend of pet-sitting-gone-wrong; The Pet Effect (2 min).

PROGRAM #2 "Feral Love" (1 hour, 17 minutes)

Art's Automotive (6 min) - Erik Dumas' animated tale of an orphaned kitten who bonds with an automotive repair robot in the future; Feral Love (1hr 11min) - Markie Hancock's engaging documentary about Dorian Rence, who appears to be a stereotypical "crazy cat lady," devoted for a decade to caring for a feral cat colony in Riverside Park in NYC, bringing them food and shelter in all weather and personal challenges. But it turns out Dorian has another devotion in addition to her cherished felines: she also plays the viola - specifically with the New York Philharmonic, for over 40 years!

*Programming subject to change

The NY Dog Film Festival

PROGRAM #1 "EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY" (1 hour 16 minutes)

A Dog's Life (8 min) - Pieter Vandenabeele's animated interpretation of a dog's view of an ordinary day in his life; Killing Me Softly (3 min) - Deirdre Mendoza's funny narrative imagines a dog park in Los Angeles, where a man-bun-sporting shaman creates social havoc; Riders of the Arctic (26 min) - Hilse De Groote's documentary looks at the Arctic dog sledding race that is the largest in Europe, with contestants from all over the world - focusing on the bond between the dogs and their mushers; Fospice Dog Sid (3 min) -Maggie Amiano's documentary about the last-chance-at-happiness adoption of Sid, a little old sick dog, who got a very happy last chapter in his life; Imperfect Adventure (5 min) -Mallory Paige's documentary chronicles her decision to overcome doubts and fears to become the adventurer she'd always envisioned - riding across North America in a motorcycle, with her dog in the sidecar; It's a Potcake Life (30 min) - Evelyn Osorio Vaccaro's heart-warming documentary follows the indigenous stray dogs of the Bahamas - called Potcakes - and the happy endings facilitated by an island of dedicated rescuers; Ooh la la (1 min) - Erika Fischerkeller's witty animation explores the relationship between males, females and dogs. Inspired by the French Poodle.

PROGRAM #2 "LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND" (1 hour 13 minutes)

Unexpected (2 min) - James Lee's delightful animated story with an unexpected ending; I Rescue Senior Dogs (5 min) - Elizabeth Howe's biographical documentary about Sherri Franklin, the founder of Muttville, the rescue for senior dogs in San Francisco; Elvis: The Lonely Hunter of Circle Beach (5 min) - Matt Hulse's hilarious story about a remote Long Island beach, where a tough little dog named Elvis searches for the elusive buried bagel; You Don't Know Jack (3 min) - Tom Corwin's documentary about a beagle named Jack, rescued from a meat farm in South Korea, who found his way to a loving Bay Area home thanks to the Marin Humane Society; Dog Power (25 min) Kale Caey's dynamic documentary follows the glorious canine athletes who compete with their humans in international competitions for canicross, bike and scooterjoring, skijoring, and cart, sprint and middle distance dog sled racing; About a Dog (16 min) - Mollie Fitzgerald's charming story about an antisocial book editor, who unexpectedly and reluctantly has to foster a dog, an experience that brings her out of shell and introduces her to love; Esther - Saving Castaways (6 min) - Andrew Wright's documentary chronicles a rehabilitation program for unwanted dogs being trained by prison inmates and how an unlikely union brings out a change in character for both; Shit Happens (2 min) - Joan Caspi's comedic use of a mime to show what happens when you don't "Pick It Up"; Well Groomed (8 min) - Rebecca Stern takes us on a psychedelically-hued journey into the colorful and passionate world of competitive creative dog grooming; Dame Mit Hund (1 min) - Sonja Rohleder's beautiful little work of animated art.

*Programming subject to change

About the Festival Founder

In 2015 the first NY Dog Film Festival premiered in New York City to a sold out theater. In 2017 the first annual NY Cat Film Festival followed suit, both events growing out of Tracie Hotchner's desire as a pet wellness advocate to expand her Radio Pet Lady Network's outreach to educate the public about adoption, health issues and philosophical aspects of pets in our lives.

Hotchner is a nationally acclaimed pet wellness advocate, who wrote THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know as well as THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know. She is recognized as a thought leader in improving the lives of companion animals and is the premiere voice for pets and their people on pet talk radio.

She produced and hosted her own live, call-in show CAT CHAT for over 7 years on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius/XM until the channel was canceled. Tracie then created her own Radio Pet Lady Network, where she still produces and co-hosts CAT CHAT along with 10 other pet talk radio podcasts with top veterinarians and pet experts.

Tracie continues to produce and host her own Gracie Award winning NPR show DOG TALK (and Kitties, Too!) from Peconic Public Broadcasting in the Hamptons after more than 12 consecutive years and 575 shows.

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