Catdance Film Festival, Hosted By Hannah Simone, Included Virtual Reality Experience: Adoption Through The Eyes Of A Cat

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Park City's celebration of independent film starring shelter cats roared back in a whole new way. "New Girl" actress Hannah Simone rolled out the red carpet for the best of feline film and debuted a virtual reality cat adoption experience – as seen through the eyes of a cat – at the Catdance Film Festival* presented by new Fresh Step^® with the power of Febreze™. Simone bestowed the coveted Golden Litter Scoop and $25,000 grand prize at the cat-adelic themed fete on Saturday, Jan. 23 in Park City during another iconic independent film festival.

"I love the funny and sweet moments I have with my cats, Jake and Frank, so I was honored to celebrate these moments at the Catdance Film Festival," said Simone. "It was a spectacular event for the star of the show – shelter cats. They walked the red carpet, took over the silver screen, and tugged at guests' heartstrings through a very cool virtual reality experience."

Cat's Eye View
Guests donned cat ears and virtual reality goggles to experience for the first time ever what it's like to be a cat being adopted, from the tearful moment they're overlooked to joyful union with its new family. If the world could see how much adoption means from a cat's point of view, shelters would be empty. Join the Fresh Step Million Meow Mission to improve the lives of shelter cats and find them more forever homes.

While the experiential content debuted in Park City at the Catdance Film Festival, feline film fanatics can have the same virtual experience at home with cardboard goggles and by visiting freshstepadoptionvr.com.

"Given the launch of our biggest litter innovation, Fresh Step with the power of Febreze, we really wanted to kick it up a notch at the Catdance Film Festival and offer fans something new and different," said Nick Meyer, Fresh Step Director of Marketing, Pet Products.  "This year we decided to make a splash by rolling out a touching virtual reality experience that gives people a chance to see adoption through the eyes of a cat." 

And The Winner Is…
Catdance has always been at the forefront of creative cat cinema, and this year screened even more original cat films starring shelter cats. Simone introduced the best of the best on the big screen before presenting the coveted 2016 Golden Litter Scoop and $25,000 "kitty" to Mike Thompson for his film, "The Purfect Patsy."

"I've been working in film since 2000, but never have I ever been challenged so creatively as to create a cat film for the Catdance Film Festival," said Thompson, who resides in Las Vegas. "The project was as fun as it was challenging, and I enjoyed every step of the process. It was such an honor to have my film selected as an official selection and to be awarded the Golden Litter Scoop."

In the film, a quiet gentleman sits on a bench and starts to prepare his snack. He looks away for just a second and it mysteriously disappears! As the gentleman continues making snacks, they continue to disappear…until he finds the real furry culprit! The video stars Gregory Popovich and his furry friends. Visit FreshStep.com to view the winning film, 2016 official films and past Catdance Classics.

The Purrfect Match
In addition to celebrating the premiere of original short cat films, Catdance debuted a purrfect partnership that has just been formed: Fresh Step with the power of Febreze. Finally, it's possible to make litter odors vanish. New Fresh Step with the power of Febreze doesn't just mask the odors, but it eliminates them. This is the only cat litter with the power of Febreze and also boasts a new lower dust formula, for cleaner surfaces and cleaner air. Now that is definitely worth celebrating.

Giving Love By the Scoopful
Fresh Step with the power of Febreze presented the Catdance Film Festival as part of its Million Meow Mission, a campaign to help more shelter cats find loving forever homes. Fresh Step is committed to donating one million scoops of litter to shelter nationwide. Through the Fresh Step Paw Points loyalty program, members can donate their Paw Points to the shelter of their choice.  In turn that shelter can redeem Paw Points for free Fresh Step litter, cat necessities, care items and toys. Through caregiving, volunteering, and donations, every act of kindness to shelter cats is a gift, and the Million Meow Mission seeks to provide that for every cat. For more information, visit https://www.freshstep.com/paw-points/million-meow-mission.  

The Clorox Company

The Clorox Company is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with about 7,700 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2015 sales of $5.7 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol® cleaners; Liquid Plumr® clog removers; Poett® home care products; Fresh Step® cat litter; Glad® bags, wraps and containers; Kingsford® charcoal; Hidden Valley® dressings and sauces; Brita® water-filtration products; and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. The company also markets brands for professional services, including Clorox Healthcare® and Clorox Commercial Solutions®. More than 80 percent of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories.

Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a community of global leaders committed to sustainability. The company has been broadly recognized for its corporate responsibility efforts, including, most recently, two U.S. EPA Climate Leadership Awards for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management and inclusion among the top 40 companies on the 2015 Newsweek Green Rankings and CR magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2015 list. The Clorox Company and The Clorox Company Foundation contributed approximately $15 million in combined cash grants, product donations, cause marketing and employee volunteerism during the past year. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com, the CR Matters Blog and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo.

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*Fresh Step litter is hosting the screening and using the Catdance Film Festival name with permission, but is not an official sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival

Media Contacts: Apryl Ash, PDC PR
614.439.7596
[email protected]

Anne Marie Ghigo, Clorox
510.271.4710
[email protected]

SOURCE The Clorox Company