You might not think the #MeToo movement, toxic masculinity, and the pandemic would factor into a heartwarming documentary about cats – but “Cat Daddies” isn’t your typical documentary.
“Cat Daddies” is the brainchild of Dallas-born director Mye Hoang. It has its Texas premiere Friday at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas.
“My film features an array of different, unique men from all around the U.S.,” Hoang says. “They have all kinds of different occupations. One’s a truck driver, one is a Hollywood stuntman, another is a Hollywood actor and cat influencer; another is a school teacher, a software engineer. There’s also a man that’s been living on the streets of New York with his kitty. And his kitty is the only thing that he has. So we have so many stories from all walks of life, and it’s about how all of these men – (and their cats have) changed their lives forever.”
“There are a lot of men out there who are caring, compassionate,” Hoang says, addressing some of the societal pressures her film alludes to. “Authentic men who don’t feel like they have to wear the mask of what everyone thinks what ‘manly and tough and strong’ is.”
One of those men – David Durst, along with his Instagram-famous feline “Tora the Trucker Cat” – will be there in person this weekend.
“I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas,” Hoang says. “I also worked at the Angelika Film Center and a lot of other theaters in Dallas. So bringing it back to the theater that I worked in when I was much younger is just amazing. It just feels like everything’s come full circle.”
Listen to our Texas Standard show ID in the audio player above.