DALLAS - Filmmaker Mye Hoang’s award-winning documentary, CAT DADDIES, which had its world premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival in October 2021, opens for a limited theatrical run at the Angelika Film Center - Dallas in Mockingbird Station at 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane. Born and raised in North Dallas, Hoang was the founder of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas and is an SMU alumna.
The film will also screen in October at in New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, Milwaukee and San Francisco. Hoang's distributor is busy booking other theaters in the United States and worldwide.
A portrait of a diverse group of men whose lives have been forever changed by their love of cats, CAT DADDIES takes an inspiring journey all across the United States during the challenging early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when people desperately needed hope and companionship.
The nine “cat dads” come from all walks of life – a firefighter, a truck driver, a Hollywood stuntman, an ad executive turned cat rescuer, a police officer, a software engineer, an actor/Instagram influencer, a schoolteacher and an undocumented and disabled immigrant living on the streets of New York City. They couldn’t be any more different, but each of them has a compelling story to tell and share an unconditional love for their beloved cats.
Hoang's husband and fellow filmmaker Dave Boyle, who also produced CAT DADDIES, initiated her fascination with cat dads. Hoang had always been a cat lover, and Boyle was indifferent about animals when they met - until one day a cat showed up on Boyle's doorstep and created an immediate close bond. As Boyle became a bona fide cat guy, Hoang noticed a transformation in Boyle and in their relationship. She wondered how many other men could also not know they love cats because they have been conditioned to love dogs. At the same time, a trend in cat dads on social media and Buzzfeed articles was exploding. Men and cats were becoming more accepted and even cool with hashtags like #catdad #menwithcats #hotguyswithcats and so forth.
The filming of CAT DADDIES, which began in late 2019, was then interrupted in March 2020. The film inevitably took a slight shift in direction to address how the events of 2020 affected some of the cat dads and how their beloved pets became a source of healing and self-care.
"I see CAT DADDIES as both a collective portrait and a time capsule, documenting a challenging year in which people desperately needed hope, relief and companionship,” said Hoang.
Hoang is the former executive director of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas and the former artistic director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival. She has directed numerous short films and produced several narrative features such as I Will Make You Mine (SXSW 2020) and Man From Reno (2015 Spirit Award nominee). She is a co-producer on the upcoming documentary feature Ashima (2022), featuring acclaimed Japanese American rock climber Ashima Shiraishi.
When: October 21-27, 2022
Where: Angelika Film Center - Dallas, in Mockingbird Station at 5321 E Mockingbird Lane, Dallas