the Cahoobicat
A short film by Luke Csermak
What is a Cahoobicat???
This is an 8-and-a-half-minute independent mixed media short film created almost entirely by me. On a trip to Morecambe, UK, my grandfather’s home town, I sought out the creature known (exclusively to me and my siblings) as the Cahoobicat.
The project was an exploration of the passage of time, loss of ability, grief, connection, nostalgia, and familial bonds. All directing, writing, editing, animation, and shooting of all but two scenes was done by me.
On November 17th, 1951, my grandpa, John Dalton, departed from Liverpool on a steamship bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the age of 16, he made this journey alone. Decades later, he had created a family with loving children and grandchildren, all residing in Southern Ontario, Canada. John Dalton passed away in July of 2018, and despite how much I loved him, I know practically nothing about his past, and he is no longer there for me to ask him about it.
This film is an attempt to connect with him. A search into his past to learn about the man I call grandpa, learn where he came from, and how that eventually led to my existence. This pursuit is driven by the desire to draw a portrait of him, not just of how he appears, but an attempt to capture his personality, his life, my memories, my perception, and our connection.
The official listing of the film can be found on Youtube here:
To be updated soon!
Music by Austin Weber