A revealing look into the lives and motivations of four self- proclaimed “cat ladies:” Margo, Jenny, Diane and Ziggy divulge their stories with raw and occasionally uncomfortable honesty. Margo finds that caring for her three cats fills the void of profound loneliness. Jenny, a 35-year-old real estate agent, uses her 16 cats as an excuse for not getting out there and finding love. After retiring, Diane, a once-successful banker, fills her schedule by rescuing abandoned cats. And Ziggy has given her life to cat rescue, but in so doing has found a purpose for living. One thinks she’s gone too far, taken in too many. Another thinks there’s room for more. Cats fill their needs for love, affection, nurturing, purpose, company, trust and dedication. But how many is too many? Where do you draw the line? Christie Callan-Jones presents the delicate balance of the “cat lady” psyche, taking us beyond stereotypes to explore the extreme edge of pet ownership and deeply felt emotions. This quirky and unexpectedly moving film sensitively captures the struggle that each “cat lady” battles on a daily basis and asks the question: Might we all be just one “cat” away from our own obsessive addiction?

Filmmaker Q&A

Introduce yourself:
Christie Callan-Jones is an award-winning director with an impressive list of blue chip documentary series already under her belt. CAT LADIES is her first foray into independent one-off documentary.

Most recently Callan-Jones co-directed season three of the highly celebrated Showcase original series Webdreams. Before Webdreams, she directed an array of highly regarded network series, including X-Weighted (Slice), Things That Move (History Television) and Opening Soon (Food Network).

Callan-Jones’s film, TURNING POINTS OF HISTORY: DEADLY WATER MINAMATA (History Television), which she wrote and directed, received several awards including: the Silver Hugo winner at the Chicago International Television Awards, the Special Jury Prize Houston WorldFest, the Silver Medal winner at the New York International Film and Video Festival and the Bronze Plaque winner at Columbus International Film and Video Festival. Her first film, TURNING POINTS OF HISTORY: MISBEHAVIN’, was awarded the Platinum winner at Houston Worldfest International Film Festival.

Callan-Jones is a native of Ottawa and graduated with an honors degree in history from Queen’s University.

What inspired this film?   How did you find your subjects?
It's kind of atypical for a film, because the inspiration actually came from the associate producer, Suzanne Mullett. It was several years ago and at the time she was over thirty, had cats, and she got really tired of people calling her a cat lady. It would drive her bananas. She started researching this stereotype and was approached by the producers Jeannette Loakman and Sally Blake to pursue the idea as a documentary. They in turn approached me to direct and together we started researching the concept and developing the film. We had an amazing researcher, Chanda Chevannes and did a huge casting process to find our four cat ladies. All in all it was a very collaborative process.

What were some of the biggest challenges/surprises?
One of the biggest challenges was shooting in small homes where there were over a hundred cats. Imagine trying to film when you are surrounded by cats. Also, the smell in these homes was very intense but you would be surprised how quickly you acclimatize. As the director, one of the biggest surprises for me was how feisty and strong our cat ladies turned out to be. The stereotype of the cat lady conjures up an image of a woman who is sad and lonely and only has her cats for companionship. But I learned through the course of filming and getting to know our characters that there is so much more to the stereotype and that these women have a lot to offer.

Who are some of your favorite filmmakers?
Two of my favorite documentary filmmakers are Albert and David Mayles. I would love to buy Albert coffee and swap stories about shooting in a house full of cats. I’m sure we would both have a lot to say!

What is your all time favorite documentary?
Honestly I don’t have an absolute favorite documentary because there are so many wonderful, thought-provoking and transformative documentaries to choose from. As a filmmaker, I have always been drawn to stories that capture the true essence of ordinary people, films with great character presence. I love it when a filmmaker can penetrate a person’s protective wall and get into their real life – to that place where a person is disarmed and completely open. That’s where the magic happens.

What other projects are in the pipeline?
I’m currently developing a documentary called WHAT’S WRONG WITH ANA, which explores the online pro-anorexia movement, a movement that claims anorexia is a lifestyle choice. The film follows the journey of Emma, a first year university student, from a “wannarexic” (someone who flirts with anorexia) to a “rexie” (someone who wants respect and admiration for their lifestyle choice and not sympathy for their disease). Emma’s journey into the pro-ana virtual world will illustrate how technology has redefined the concept of community and that the pro-ana movement is really more about belonging than adopting anorexia as a lifestyle choice.

Why did you become a filmmaker?
I know everyone says this, but I became a filmmaker because I love telling stories, specifically stories about people that explore unique subcultures that confront themes like loneliness and marginalization.

What are some of your creative influences?
To be honest I’m influenced by everyone I’ve ever worked with. What’s so great about documentary filmmaking is how collaborative it is. On every project I’ve worked on I’ve learned from my producers, the DOP, the sound person and mostly importantly from the subjects who generously let me into their lives so that I can tell their stories.

Did you go to film school?
I did not go to film school but I have a degree in history. Over the years I have taken different filmmaking courses and workshops, but I have learned the most on the job and by not being afraid to ask questions and to admit when I don’t know something.

What do you shoot on?
I have shot on almost every camera, but CAT LADIES was shot on the Sony EX1, a fabulous camera that I would highly recommend.

What has been the most unexpected thing to happen since taking the film on the festival circuit?
So far CAT LADIES has only screened at Hot Docs, where it had its international premiere. Hot Docs was an incredible experience and I was thrilled by how positively people responded to the film. So many people told me that the film made them laugh, cry; a real rollercoaster of emotions, which is everything we could have asked for.

Why did you want to screen your film at SILVERDOCS?
It’s an honor for CAT LADIES to be invited to screen at SILVERDOCS so that we can show the film to a wider audience. I also wanted to ask Albert about how he got the smell out of his clothes...