Jonathan Thunder

Ish Meets a Mermaid

Written and directed by Duluth’s Jonathan Thunder, the short movie Ish Meets a Mermaid was produced in 2025 and premiered at the Historic State Theater in Ely during the Ely Film Festival in March 2026. It recently made its Duluth debut at the Zeitgeist Minnesota Film Festival. (more…)

Jonathan Thunder’s Digital Tampering Reel

This compilation shows various animation projects Duluth artist Jonathan Thunder has worked on in the past decade, including his own projects, collaborations and works for hire.

Trailer: Ish Meets a Mermaid

Duluth artist Jonathan Thunder’s new movie, Ish Meets a Mermaid, is in the submission process for the national film festival circuit. The story invovles an artist in a slump who meets a mysterious woman from a realm beneath Lake Superior and finds success in the last place he ever expected — death.

Jonathan Thunder: Good Mythology

Duluth’s Jonathan Thunder is the subject of a short film that aired nationally on PBS in November. Now, the feature is available via YouTube, and is embedded above. (more…)

Jonathan Thunder on PBS


 

Duluth’s Jonathan Thunder is the subject of a new short film airing nationally on PBS. Jonathan Thunder: Good Mythology, directed by Sergio Mata’u Rapu, was selected by American Masters for national broadcast as part of the digital series In the Making. It will air in Duluth on WDSE-TV channel 8.1 on Tuesday, Nov. 22, following the broadcast of Buffy Sainte Marie: Carry it On. The programs occupy the 8 to 10 p.m. slot, so the Thunder feature will likely air after 9:30 p.m. (more…)

The Slice: Jonathan Thunder

Ojibwe artist Jonathan Thunder talks about his practice of mixing modern sensibilities with traditional imagery.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Selective Focus: Bowwow Powwow

On Wednesday, June 27, there is a book release event for “Bow Wow Pow Wow” illustrated by Duluth artist Jonathan Thunder, written by Brenda Child, professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota, and translated to Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain, who teaches at the Misaabekong Ojibwe Language Immersion program for Duluth Public Schools. (more…)

Selective Focus: Jonathan Thunder

SF-JonTHunderTeaser

This week’s selective focus subject has appeared on PDD before; doing the Robot on every street corner in Duluth. He even made the Best Videos of 2014 list. Even more impressive than his dance moves are his paintings. He’s also an animator and filmmaker. Jonathan Thunder tells about his diverse work.
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