Welcome to “Your Weekly Short,” a LakeFrontRow.com feature that showcases one short from a Wisconsin filmmaker all while stretching the definition of “weekly.” Brace thy face.
Winter sucks. That isn’t news to anyone. But the only thing worse than the blistering cold temperatures that shutdown car engines and freeze sidewalks is the snowfall. Because who likes shoveling? Certainly not I.
Nor do pandas for that matter. Jessica Prihoda’s micro-short is brief, and as the YouTube description reveals, more of an exercise than anything else. The cuteness of a claymation (and Canadian) panda yawning awake is disarmed by the malaise of crummy weather and the unfortunate chores it brings; the macabre piano in the background only adds to the dreary storm clouds in the distance.
A recent graduate at UW-Superior, Prihoda’s documentary Painting the Community was named a student finalist entry in Bemidji’s Headwater Film Festival last month. Prihoda brings an ambition to a project as quaint as “Canada Panda,” as evidenced by an impressive opening camera pan that swings into the panda’s bedroom. Sure, just typing “Canada Panda” feels more than a little ridiculous. On the other hand, where can I get one of those bedside Canadian flags?