UPSAHL - THE OTHER TEAM

Directed by
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A look back at the high school dramas of love <3

Upsahl's The Other Team is an autobiographical flashback to a time where she had a crush on her now best friend, who later came out in their teenage years, “I feel like everyone can relate to this in someway because we’ve all fallen for someone we can’t have. In my experience, I was into someone that was into guys, but at the end of the day, everyone is always swinging for somebody else’s ‘Other Team'. We’ve all been there in one way or another, so I wanted to capture those moments and turn them into something we can all laugh about.”

Director Ally Pankiw turns these memories into a playful reminiscence of all those young heartbreaks returning to a high-school setting with Upshal's friends making up the majority of the cast, undoubtedly giving it that extra comfort and fun back and forth. “I’ve always had my friends on set with me for my past videos, whether they are in the videos or just hanging, and it creates such a fun vibe for everyone there, I’m just really thankful to have such supportive friends that I can ask to come to an all day shoot with me and they respond with, ‘yeah I was already planning on it.’ "

For Pankiw The Other Team "mirrors my own adolescence and the way that it always felt a bit scary to reach across the divide when you didn't know if someone else was into you - whether that be because of sexual orientation or simply a lack of interest. I also love subverting high school imagery - like bleachers, picture day backdrops, and prom queen crowns - and creating surreal dance-based visuals that incorporate those nostalgic elements. "

CREDITS