6 Degrees of Cats

Cats, Camera, Action! Felines on Film with film critic Angelica Jade Bastién, cinéastes Mye Hoang and Rob Bennett (25 Cats From Qatar) and photographer BriAnne Wills (Girls and Their Cats)

Listen Later

Who loves cats and cinema? On this episode, the crew of your favorite cat-themed culture, history and science podcast make our first foray into feline film studies! Join us for a 40 minute discussion on the roles cats have played onscreen - from overlooked props and stereotypes to scene-stealing stars who shape stories and symbolize mystery, power and resilience. Host Amanda “Captain Kitty” B. is joined by film critic Angelica Jade Bastién, 25 Cats from Qatar and Cat Daddies filmmaker Mye Hoang (with cinematographer Rob Bennett), and Girls and Their Cats video series creator Brianne Wills to unpack how filmmakers use the “five Cs of cinematography” to portray cats, the cultural tropes tying felines to witches and “mad women” and the rise of cat-pawsitive storytelling in both film and digital media. From Hollywood classics to international documentaries and everyday cat videos, we explore how these furry icons are reshaping the zeitgeist - and how we can celebrate and sustain this New Wave.

Note: There is a brief mention of gender-based violence. If you or someone you know has experienced domestic or intimate partner violence or assault, please connect with 1-800-656-HOPE (US) or visit domesticshelters.org for international resources. You are not alone, nobody deserves it and you have options.

Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.

And check out these supplementary episodes:

  • Witches, Whiskers and Whisky: Re-introducing the Original Cat Lady of Halloween! [Season 2 Premiere]
  • Cats vs Cupid: Why Cats are the Better Valentine’s Day Mascot
  • Did You Know the Vikings had Cats? Magic, Freya and Norse Folklore
  • Felines & Fatherhood: Exploring Masculinity, Father’s Day, and the Unique Bond Between Men and Cats

    •  

    About the experts:

    • Angelica Jade Bastién is a critic and essayist at New York Magazine’s site Vulture. She has been featured on Rotten Tomatoes and her work has been published in many publications including Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, and within Criterion Blu-ray releases. She lives in Chicago with her two cats. You can subscribe to her newsletter, Madwomen & Muses on Substack.
    • BriAnne Wills is a fashion and beauty photographer and the creator of Girls and Their Cats, a photo and YouTube series created by BriAnne as a way to debunk the crazy cat lady stereotype and to showcase cat-owning women in a positive light. Originally from Oregon, she currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two cats, Liza and Tuck. She’s photographed over 400 women around the US, all as unique as their feline friends. Subscribe to the Girls and Their Cats YouTube channel and sign up here to be featured in her next video shoot.
    • Mye Hoang is a Los Angeles–based producer and director of cat-themed documentaries 25 Cats From Qatar (2025) and Cat Daddies (2022). She produced the award-winning noir thriller Man From Reno (LA Film Festival Best Feature, Spirit Award Nominee 2015) and Lynn Chen’s I Will Make You Mine (SXSW 2020), and her first narrative feature, Viette (2012), a Vietnamese American coming-of-age story, screened at dozens of festivals including the Asian American International Film Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Fest. Hoang is the founder and former Executive Director of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, former Artistic Director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and holds a BA in Cinema from Southern Methodist University. Visit 25catsfromqatar.com to purchase the film on Blu-ray and visit catdaddiesmovie.com Cat Daddies to watch On Demand or purchase on DVD.
    • Rob E. Bennett is a Los Angeles–based cinematographer whose work spans documentary, narrative, and commercial projects. In collaboration with director Mye Hoang, he shot 25 Cats from Qatar (2025) and Cat Daddies (2022), both praised by critics for their evocative and carefully crafted visuals. Follow more of his work at rawbennett.com and on Instagram @rawbennett.

      • Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*

      • Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)

        • * with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut

        Animal voices include:

        • Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_

          • Music:

          • Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025
          • Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com

            • Logo design:

            • Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)

              • Research used:

              • Academy of Film, Theatre & Television Blog. (2017, May 26). 5 C’s of cinematography. https://www.aftt.edu.au/news/latest-news/5-c-s-of-cinematography
              • AFI Docs. (2010, May 21). Martin Scorsese: Documentary vs. Narrative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJtBd0VdImw
              • Alexandra, R. (2024, January 12). How the “crazy” cat lady became one of pop culture’s most enduring sexist tropes. KQED. https://www.kqed.org/arts/13891913/how-the-crazy-cat-lady-became-one-of-pop-cultures-most-enduring-sexist-tropes 
              • Arosteguy, S. (2021, November 3). 10 things I learned: The incredible shrinking man | current | the criterion collection. Criterion.com. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7591-10-things-i-learned-the-incredible-shrinking-man
              • Cinema Cats. (2019, June 27). https://cinemacats.com/
              • Flood, A. (2018, June 19). Garfield’s creator, 40 Years on: “I’m still trying to get it right.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/19/garfield-jim-davis-40-years
              • Hoang, M. (2025). 25 Cats from Qatar. Grey Hat Productions. https://www.25catsfromqatar.com/
              • Kinds of movies: Narrative film, Documentary film, and experimental film - 666 words: Essay example. IvyPanda. (n.d.). https://ivypanda.com/essays/kinds-of-movies-narrative-film-documentary-film-and-experimental-film/
              • Krause, M. (2019, October 15). What is Zeitgeist? examining period-specific cultural patterns. Poetics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304422X18301931
              • Leith, M. (2001, October 16). The end of the other. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC81547/
              • Lynn, H. (2023, November). The impact of Film on culture: Reflections on movie industry, violent impact and politicized content production. Communications in Humanities Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375767695_The_Impact_of_Film_on_Culture_Reflections_on_Movie_Industry_Violent_Impact_and_Politicized_Content_Production
              • Monohan, S. (2022, December 19). I predicted the “vibe shift” – and watched it sweep the world. here’s what it actually means. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/dec/19/how-can-you-spot-a-vibe-shift-that-transforms-popular-culture-ask-me-i-literally-invented-the-term
              • National Science and Media Museum. (2020, June 18). A very short history of cinema. National Science and Media Museum. https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/very-short-history-of-cinema#:~:text=The%20first%20to%20present%20projected,film%20printer%20all%20in%20one.
              • Pew Research Center. (2023, November 10). Newspapers fact sheet. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/
              • Rawlings, S. W. (1985, April). Household and family characteristics: March 1984. Current population reports. Series P-20, Population characteristics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12158811/#:~:text=Of%20the%2085.4%20million%20households,1980%2C%20and%2048.1%20in%201970.
              • Seelye, K. (2006, October 31). Newspaper Circulation Falls sharply. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/31/business/media/31paper.html
              • Welk, B. (2021, August 8). 10 crazy cat ladies in movies and TV, from “alien” to “the office” (photos). The Wrap. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/10-crazy-cat-ladies-movies-153038868.html
                • ...more
                View all episodesView all episodes
                Download on the App Store
                6 Degrees of CatsBy 6degreesofcats