We saw The Big Sad Nairobi on Saturday at Unseen Nairobi, and it was an amazing work of art. The stop motion left everyone in the audience yearning for more from the director; Sheldon.
Kinyeki, an astrophysicist, did the animation, transitions etc. When asked by someone in the audience about the difference between his studies and current field of work, he said there wasn't a transition between art and serious studies for him since art has always been his passion. The moment he left school, he got right back into art✨ which is what he's loved doing the whole time.
Zord, or Zordfiles, wrote the film and directed it, coming up with design details for the film. It was a struggle at first to get the whole thing together, but towards the end, the team chanced on a 1.5 million shilling grant that enabled them to work with paid professionals like Anariko, who did the music for the second film.
An audience member said that the goat, who is the main character in the films, is pretty much every one of us. She also asked whether the crew ever feels like they're stuck, guilty, like they at least have to bear witness to the nonsense we're going through as a society. If so, how do they deal with it? In other words, "how do you put the bag down?" Watch the film to get this reference please, it's worth it. The team responded that with a solid support system, it's possible to weather the storms of life as we learn valuable lessons in the process.
Zord said that when he made the film it was about him putting as much hurt down as possible so he could go on with the rest of his life. Once the character came to life, he started relating to it in a different way. According to the crew, the bag can represent different things to different people, and for Zord, it was being free of hurt and pain and understanding that he can keep moving because he has people around him. As for Kinyeki, he felt that the more the people who watch the film, the more fulfilled he would be that he did his job well, so that's his "bag."
Feedback from the Audience
Wachira, another member of the audience, said the film was great. He added that most times when we watch voice-acted films we only hear the words. With the big sad, the combination of words and actions as well as familiar backgrounds enriched the experience. Each person got the chance to relate with the character in their own way. As you introspect while watching the film, you get the spotlight effect, which enables people to feel that they're not alone in whatever they're facing. In response to yet another audience member, who asked whether the next Big Sad Nairobi be more hopeful, Shelby said that the next film will be intentional and reflect what they're going through at the moment.
Another viewer, Mokua, who has watched the film a number of times, said that she loved everything about it and would love to see a lot more in this space. She added that financial constraints are a major issue in the industry and was hopeful that in the future, this issue could be handled and allow more creatives to put out more work, fulfilling themselves and the people who experience their art.
Kinyeki, part of the filming crew, was asked about what he had to share with the family of The Big Sad Nairobi. He said that the most important role played by families was to offer value and help each other bear burdens, mental and otherwise. He stated that not everything is material, and while money can solve a lot of issues, it's not the end-all-be-all. A memorable moment for him during the film's creation was when the team celebrated his birthday with him, which was special for him.
We were treated to a brief trivia session when Kinyeki asked for one name of a building that was in the film and then gave a framed memento to the first person who gave the right response. Shelby also said that they're thinking about making The Big Sad Nairobi into a game in the future, so keep an eye open for that.
I found the film to be amazing and open enough to cater to each person's feelings while remaining balanced in terms of entertainment value. 10/10 would recommend; check it out at Unseen Nairobi and keep it here to get more of this content. Enjoy a whole new world of the feels; sad and more; Geekspeak will hold your hand through it all!
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