THE CATWALK GETS ITS TURN

“People understand what a dog show is. People cannot wrap their heads around what a cat show is,” says Kim Langille who is the proud owner of Bobby the White Turkish Angora who shows up at every cat show across the country in this new documentary Catwalk:  Tales From the Cat Show Circuit.  From Markham Street Films, both directors Michael McNamara and Aaron Hancox follow Kim Langille and her cat Bobby and their immediate rivalries Shirley McCollow and her Red Persian cat Oh La La.  Catwalk:  Tales From The Cat Show Circuit shows the competitive nature of cat owners as they pit their show cats against some of the best in numerous cat shows across the country that many of us may have not seen before at all.  FERNTV interviews both Michael McNamara and Aaron Hancox about this charming and witty documentary where you will be able to get your turn to observe these cat shows up close and personal.

FERNTV:   Explain to us why you still wanted to go ahead with this project even though you were allergic to cats?

Michael – I can’t pet a cat without getting itchy and sneezy. But like a cat, I’m curious – I’m drawn to making films about unfamiliar worlds – it’s a good excuse to learn new things. And my directing partner Aaron Hancox is a cat guy, so I was confident knowing that he could defuse the situation if an aggressive kitten every tried to corner me for a petting.

Aaron– Meow!

FERNTV:  The documentary is charming but was it because you made Catwalk charming or this doc became charming on its own?

Michael– All our films are charming.  We like making films about unique characters with unique interests.  Generally, reality TV makes fun of such “quirky” people.  Not us – we treat them with respect and celebrate their passion and expertise.  The results tend to be funny and joyful.  And yeah, we’ll take “charming”!

Aaron–Both, I think. We love our characters and tried to do them justice. They are both fiercely competitive and very gracious, which is rare. Catwalk is about the lengths we go to to express our love for our animals, so the emotional stakes are arguably greater than a film about other hobbyists like, say stamp collectors. Animals love you back.

FERNTV:  Kedi was a very famous doc that came out last year.  Do you feel this film had any influence on you when you put Catwalk together?

Michael- I saw Kedi at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with my wife and business partner Judy Holm- it had been running on and off for a few weeks, but even so, the place was packed.  We were sitting in the balcony, surrounded by women of all ages – and every time one of the cats did something cute, the women squealed and moaned like they were at a Tom Jones concert. No one was throwing panties or room keys at the stage, but the reaction was wild enough to convince us that we’ve been making the wrong films. When Aaron discovered the world of Cat Shows, we were raring and ready to go.

Aaron– Not really. We had been pitching Catwalk before the release of Kedi. But I think it’s fair to say that Kedi’s success was helpful in getting our film noticed. The two films are quite different too. Kedi is a beautifully earnest film about how cats adopt people. Catwalk is a comedy about the lengths people go to for their cats. But it’s also packed with pathos.

FERNTV:  You put the song Obsession by Animotion into the film?  Was this influenced by Fashion Television with Jeanne Beker?

Michael– Fashion Television? Jeanne Beker? Not ringing a bell…

Aaron– Spoiler alert! the final version of our film has a song composed in the same spirit as “Obsession.” Licencing the original wasn’t in the cards. What you saw was a pre-mixed version of Catwalk with temp music. But, yes – we were absolutely inspired by Fashion Television! As a child of the 80s and 90s, the FTV theme was always shorthand for style and sophistication – something our cats have in droves.

FERNTV:   Did you feel just as exhausted as the cat owners when filming their travels to cat shows?

Michael– We may have been dragging tonnes of film equipment all over eastern Canada to all these shows, but cat owners travel with live animals. Multiple animals. Animals that get hungry.  Animals that poop. Film crews don’t have to carry kitty litter. So….

Aaron– However tiring the filming experience was, Michael and I were energized by the belief we had in our characters, and the excitement we had for Catwalk. We felt we had tapped into something special, and as doc makers, it doesn’t get any more exciting than that! There were many times when we would look at each other and ask, “Is this actually happening?”

FERNTV:  Why would this doc is suitable to the CBC Docs platform?

Michael– The internet was invented for cat videos.

Aaron– Our film has a strong Director’s POV, which is important to the CBC Docs POV strand. As for how Catwalk looks in the line up compared to other films in the strand – we’re happy to be the comic relief 😉

FERNTV:   You have two films showing this month at Hot Docs Cinema.  What is it like for Hot Docs to support Markham Street Films?

Michael– The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is the best movie house in the city, technically and artistically.  And the audiences are smart, curious and ready to be challenged and entertained.  We love showing our films there.

Aaron– Hot Docs was the first organization to give development money to Fight For Justice: David & Me, after years of pitching. The film had its world premiere at the festival in 2014, which was instrumental in the publicity campaign around David McCallum’s release from prison. On April 18, Hot Docs is hosting a special screening as part of the epilogue series, feteing 25 years of the festival. We’re very honoured. What can I say? I think Hot Docs is the greatest festival on earth, and the theatre is an extension of the festival experience. Hot Docs audiences (and Toronto audiences, generally) are deeply passionate about the health of the documentary genre.

FERNTV:  What kind of advice would you give to those who want to start up their own production company?

Michael- I would advise against that, unless you have access to a time machine and can go back 20 years to the golden age of Specialty TV Cable Channels who were hungry for documentaries.  It’s a different world now – they are all owned by the same company and the shelf space for documentaries is shrinking. Thank God for the CBC! No matter what the fashion, CBC has always understood that documentaries matter.

Aaron– Find great stories, work your ass off, be kind and take creative chances.

Opens in

Toronto on Friday, March 23, 2018 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Buy tickets at the link below

https://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=72032~59fba0ef-6a4a-45af-8cd3-8a8d7c61f184&epguid=c2b251a9-5e4e-4a63-899e-f68d8b607341

World Broadcast Premiere on CBC Docs POV

Sunday, April 1, 2018 at 9:00 PM (9:30 PM NT)

www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov

http://www.markhamstreetfilms.com/