PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Ukrainian American filmmaker Matej Silecky will premiere his documentary “Baba Babee Skazala” (Grandmother Told Grandmother) at the Fall 2018 New Jersey Film Festival on October 7 at Rutgers University’s Voorhees Hall in New Brunswick, N.J.
The film was selected as one of 22 finalists for the film festival, based on the determination of 15 film judges who screened more than 507 works that were submitted by filmmakers from around the world.
The documentary tells the stories collected from 35 oral history interviews from individuals who at the time were children torn from their homes after suffering the invasions by the armies of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia during World War II. They recount their experiences as child refugees and displaced persons in Europe, with many later immigrating to the United States. In this new homeland, they created new lives for themselves, building Ukrainian communities through their grit, religious faith and deep belief in the importance of preserving their Ukrainian culture.
The film screening is scheduled to be followed by a Q&A session with Mr. Silecky and others involved in the production of the film. Mr. Silecky acknowledged the contributions of: Dr. Alexander Motyl, professor of political science at Rutgers University; Evan Yee, cinematographer; and Julie Parker, film producer.
Mr. Silecky, who resides in Verona, N.J., is the founding director of Kitsune Tale Productions, LLC, and previously was a runner-up on ITV’s “Dancing On Ice” 2018, with celebrity partner Brooke Vincent of “Coronation Street.” He completed his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from The University of California, Berkeley, with a minor in theater, dance and performance studies.
An agreement between the film company and the Ukrainian Museum-Archives of Cleveland established an archival repository for the interviews featured in “Baba Babee Skazala.”
Readers may obtain tickets by visiting the New Jersey Film Festival website, www.njfilmfest.com, or visit www.kitsunetaleproductions.com.