Sol Kefali arrived in New Zealand as Turkish refugee on May 1st, 1951; he is now 84 years old. This animated film is 3 minutes of him reminiscing about that time, and it is part of the Loading Docs series of short documentaries from New Zealand filmmakers. One could argue about the classification of this as a documentary but to quibble would be to miss the color and fun of this very personal short film.
Baba is subtitled "A Conversation with my Grandfather" and that is what it is, as the 84 year old Sol tells us stories of his arrival, experiences with girls and with other cultures. As with all older people there is a touch of "you don't know how good you have it" and such memory effects so that things perhaps are remembered a little simpler or kinder to the teller than they really well. The animation plays well into this feeling as it is colourful, lively and puts exaggerated pictures to some of the words. This sense of energy and vibrancy to the images sits well with the sound of Sol's voice. He sounds very much alive and the type of "old bloke" that it is easy to listen to even though you probably get a bit of stick to go along with your pinch of salt.
The film shares this character well, with good 'dialogue' and colourful animation. Works very well as a 3 minute short which must be a personal film but is also warmly accessible to the unfamiliar viewer too.
Baba is subtitled "A Conversation with my Grandfather" and that is what it is, as the 84 year old Sol tells us stories of his arrival, experiences with girls and with other cultures. As with all older people there is a touch of "you don't know how good you have it" and such memory effects so that things perhaps are remembered a little simpler or kinder to the teller than they really well. The animation plays well into this feeling as it is colourful, lively and puts exaggerated pictures to some of the words. This sense of energy and vibrancy to the images sits well with the sound of Sol's voice. He sounds very much alive and the type of "old bloke" that it is easy to listen to even though you probably get a bit of stick to go along with your pinch of salt.
The film shares this character well, with good 'dialogue' and colourful animation. Works very well as a 3 minute short which must be a personal film but is also warmly accessible to the unfamiliar viewer too.