The Remarkable Story Behind Cats on Movies

A forgotten Christmas gift became the beginning of an extraordinary body of work. What started as a spontaneous idea for his wife developed within a matter of hours into a project that today makes film classics from around the world appear in a completely new light. Hollywood stars become cats, familiar posters become independent stories full of humor, love for detail, and a great passion for cinema.

But behind Cats on Movies lies far more than an original idea. It is the story of a boy who saw a film for the first time at six years old, and whose life changed forever in that moment. It is the story of two Sacred Birmans who unexpectedly became muses. And it is the story of an artist who sees in every film poster not merely a piece of advertising, but a work of art in its own right.

In conversation, Montaño explains why some film posters fascinate him immediately while others leave him completely cold. He reveals why the poster for A.I. Artificial Intelligence moves him more deeply than any other, and why for him it is not the cat that takes center stage, but the story she tells.

Join the artist on a journey between cinema, art, and cats and discover why the most beautiful ideas sometimes emerge from the greatest coincidences.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

What was the first work in the series? How did it come about?

My first work actually came out of necessity. I still needed a Christmas gift for my wife. Since her favorite film is Breakfast at Tiffany’s, it was natural to reinterpret that poster.

From that one poster, however, four came out in a single day. And from those came a photo book with 16 posters. That laid the foundation for the series Cats on Movies, which today comprises over 60 posters.

From the very beginning, my goal was not simply to replace figures with cats, but to give each work its own signature. As a result, an independent story often emerges that goes beyond the original poster.

Cats on Movies was not part of any plan. But perhaps that is precisely where its secret lies.

How do you choose the films?

Posters come to me in very different ways online, in books, on DVD covers, or in a cinema display. When a motif catches my eye, I then look for a suitable reference.

For most films, several poster versions exist. I then choose the one that comes closest to my visual ideas.

What matters most to me is that the poster touches me visually and already possesses its own artistic quality. Posters that consist only of actors’ faces barely appeal to me. Simply swapping faces is too little as an artistic approach.

Of course, the film itself also plays a role. When I particularly love a film, I always hope that its poster will excite me too. In reality, however, that is rarely the case.

Why cats and not another animal?

That was not my decision, but fate. I had actually imagined a large, short haired dog. Instead, my wife one day brought Emma and Marilena home two small, long-haired Sacred Birmans.

I took both of them into my heart immediately and today I cannot imagine being without them even though I have remained a dog person to this day as well.

Over time, my two great passions came together quite naturally: on one side film, on the other Emma and Marilena, who became my muses without knowing it.

Without them, my work would never have become as extensive. When I look at them, I feel a deep love for them. And I have the sense that they return this love to me in their own unique way.

Above all, they inspire me every single day. Without Emma and Marilena, Cats on Movies would not exist in this form.

Which work do you value most?

There are several works that are especially close to my heart. My personal favorite, however, is the poster for A.I. Artificial Intelligence by Steven Spielberg.

The film tells the story of an artificial boy an android created to give unconditional love.

On the original poster, only his silhouette is visible, accompanied by a few short sentences that describe him and speak of his love.

In his place on my poster appears the silhouette of my cat Emma. The texts now describe her unconditional love for me.

Visually, the poster looks rather understated. Many viewers therefore do not initially recognize its true meaning. That is precisely what makes this work so special to me.

A man who traveled from village to village with his projector showed Ben Hur in the back room of a tavern. You were six years old. What changed that day?

That day was my awakening. Like so many families, we did not yet have a television, and the nearest cinema was in the next larger city. Until that day, I had never seen a film.

Then I saw Ben-Hur one of the greatest films of all time. From that moment on, I was lost. The possibilities in the village were limited, but as soon as I was in the city, I was interested in everything connected to film.

I cannot say how many films I have seen in my life. It must have been well over 3,000. Later I earned a Diplom in Medien Design with a focus on Film, worked first as a camera assistant, then as a producer in television, and alongside that was a lecturer in Film at the Hochschule RheinMain in Wiesbaden for almost thirty years.

Looking back, that day was the spark that mapped out my path and influenced my entire life.

By Silvia Gonzalo — Germany Correspondent