The story of Katlandia began with a real tabby kitten from the Pasadena Humane Society. He chose me, not the other way around. I wanted to name him Freddy. He had other ideas. Billy it was.
My cat, Billy developed a keen fascination with the cellar door. I had no idea what he did down there, but I’d let him go — and like clockwork, he was always back in time for dinner.
One day, I followed him. He scampered down ahead of me and by the time I reached the bottom, he was gone. Nowhere. And then a word popped into my head from nowhere: Katlandia.
What if there was another world down there — a world of, by, and for cats? What would it look like? Do cats have jobs? Live in cities? Would they have the same problems as humans, or would they find a way to transcend them?
LOG LINE: Thrust into a secret feline kingdom, a young British girl must unite warring factions before the kingdom is lost forever — and her Watch Cat with it.
Official Selection — Byron Bay International Film Festival 2025
The art of Louis Wain has always fascinated me — his anthropomorphic cats became the emotional touchstone as I set out to build Katlandia.
It took more than 25 years to bring the story Billy told me to the page. I promised him I’d tell it to the world.
Cats keep their promises.