PassesAccessibility
2026
Short Narrative(East Coast Premiere)

Ish Meets a Mermaid

A film still from Ish Meets a Mermaid shows an Anishinaabe woman and an Ojibwe man standing in a bookstore. The woman has blue hair extensions and blue eyeshadow, and she is staring at the man.

An Ojibwe artist named Ish finds that his paintings aren’t selling anymore, he is in debt to his gallery rep, and a local goon is lurking around his studio. When he decides to take an artist’s getaway, he meets trouble with a mysterious woman, Ziibi, who claims to be part of an underwater society that tribal mythology refers to as the people of the water, or Nibiinaabe. Ziibi brings Ish on a wild ride that ultimately leads to him finding success in the last place he ever expected — death.

Screenings

Virtual

Availability BeginsSaturday, August 810:30PM EDT

Directors Spotlight

Jonathan Thunder

Director

Jonathan Thunder is a visual storyteller and filmmaker with 20 years experience working in experimental film, narratives, short films, documentaries, animation and vfx. You can learn more at jonthunder.com.

Year
2026
Runtime
16 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English, Ojibwe
Director
Jonathan Thunder
Screenwriters
Jonathan Thunder, Tashia Hart
Producer
Vera Bianchini
Executive Producer
Jonathan Thunder
Co Producer
Tashia Hart
Cast
Jonathan Thunder, Tashia Hart, Stacey Thunder, Charles Thunder, Alex Kmett
Cinematographer
Jeff Saunders
Editors
Jonathan Thunder, Tashia Hart, Vera Bianchini
Animator
Jonathan Thunder
Production Design
Megan Salmela
Composers
Keith Secola, Corey Medina
Sound Design
Jonathan Thunder
Premiere
East Coast

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