I encountered Ali Kellner by stumbling across a heap of accolades for her Sheridan graduation film, “Nana”. Hoping to talk with her about the short, I soon learned she’s a rare interviewee doubleheader: in her first long-term gig post-graduation, Ali has been an Animator on Bravest Warriors in Toronto since last summer. “Nana,” recounting her grandmother’s story of being torn from her life and home in 1944 Budapest, continues to wow festival audiences worldwide, while Ali keeps busy with a bunch of exciting projects. We can only feature the full short for 2 weeks - so get to watching above!

Did you always want to animate? What did you imagine being as a kid?

Growing up, I was always considered “artsy” to my family and friends. I remember being instantly attracted to anything I could use to create with my hands. In high school I loved doodling and was really into creating old school Flash animations during computer class. From there I knew I just wanted to do art and use computers. Funnily enough, when I was a kid, I never thought of having a career in art. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist.

When did you know you wanted to pursue animation professionally?

In high school when I discovered that there were actual people behind my obsession, Spongebob Squarepants. That made me realize that animation was a possibility, and I knew I had to figure out a way to get there. In Quebec we have post secondary education called CEGEP that we do directly after high school, like pre-university college. I pursued Fine Arts for my degree. I learned how to use plaster casting, wood shop, printmaking, etching, canvas painting. I thought that if I learned how to draw and paint, I could apply for the animation program at Concordia University in Montreal. I went there directly after CEGEP.

But “Nana” is your Sheridan grad film - how long were you at Concordia?

I was there for 3 years. I decided not to do a “final film” because I didn’t think I had the technical stuff down: aka, I didn’t think I knew enough to make something good enough. My 3 years there were great, but I didn’t see myself landing a job or anything. I’d heard Sheridan was supposed to be “the best animation school in Canada” and thought Toronto would have way more jobs than Montreal. So I took some part time courses, worked on my Sheridan portfolio, and applied. If I can, maybe one day I’ll go back to Concordia and finish my degree there, because I still have that final film I can make. Then I’ll have 2 Bachelor degrees in Animation! And two thesis films… hmm…

How was your experience at Sheridan?

I absolutely loved my time at Sheridan. The first two years are really tough. It can totally be considered “animation boot-camp”. I loved that we were taught how to animate and how to draw technically. I think those skillsets are essential for a career in animation, even if you’re in 3D or 2D puppet rigs. For our final year, Sheridan gives us the opportunity to create a short film completely on our own. I really am grateful for that experience, and to have had the support from my family to do it.

How were you inspired to create “Nana”?

On one of my visits to my grandmother, we casually started talking about her past. I realized she hadn’t really told anyone the full story. My family knew she went through a camp and walked for a long time, but I don’t think she’d ever had the opportunity to really talk about her experience. When she started reminiscing, I realized this is such an important story to tell and I decided to come back before starting my thesis film and record her. It occurred to me that I had one year to work full time, fully funded, with Sheridan’s state of the art facilities in order to make a short film. I decided to make something I knew I would never regret spending time and energy on. I wanted to make something she, and I, would be proud of. I knew if I made this film, I would never think back to my last year of university and wish I had done something different.

What was the process of creating “Nana”? Did you have to cut things out?

I recorded my grandmother for about half an hour. The conversation was casual and I had a very long voice track to work with when it was done. I got to school after my summer internship and started editing the recording to get a clearer narrative. She had so many other experiences that she told me about, but I needed to cut it down to a “doable” amount of time. I finally managed to get it just under 5 minutes. The entire recording is factual and in chronological order.

How does “Nana” differ from or build upon your prior work?

“Nana” is my first short film, so I don’t have much to compare it to filmmaking-wise. That being said, it’s pretty interesting that I chose to go with a black and white animated documentary, considering my work is very colourful and cartoony. I tend to stray away from realism, but I think my film marries the stylistic cartoony approach with the heavy documentary subject matter. If you look at my website or Instagram, the art I usually do is totally different than the traditional 2D method I used with my film. However, I really enjoyed experimenting and discovering the process, and hope to do another film similarly in the future.