Golden Age Karate
Description :
“Golden Age Karate,” comes from Zendesk, the customer-service software company, and director Sindha Agha. It tells the heartwarming story of Jeff Wall Jr., a real-life teenage hero, who uses his natural talent for marital arts to help people of all ages. At 6 years old, Jeff started learning karate. By 10, he was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. By the third grade, he’d developed a superhero complex. This led to a reputation for landing in the principal’s office after rescuing other children in need. Ahead of his black belt tryout, Jeff started to spend more time with his grandmother. It was this relationship that taught him to respect his elders. However, it also inadvertently exposed him to the acute loneliness of old age. Jeff realized other elderly people might be experiencing the same thing. With this in mind, he created a karate class for senior citizens in his home state of Ohio. The routine, discipline, exercise and fun of martial arts hit a chord with the residents — and not just because they could “hit” him. Karate gave them confidence to step outside their comfort zone. Produced by Zendesk, “Golden Age Karate” is one film in a series that aligns with their mission of “helpfulness.” Through this lens, Agha uses animation, live-action, archival footage, and a rhythmic edit to beautifully capture Jeff’s humanism and benevolence. If you take anything away from the film, it’s the knowledge that you’re never too young or too old to learn something new.
Awards :
Festivals :
Credits :
Director: Sindha Agha
Producers: Malcolm Pullinger & Rachel Serada Barth
Editor: Matty Neikrug
Production Manager: Valentina Clerici
Featuring: Jeff Wall Jr., Valerie Wall
Executive Producers: Mohammad Gorjestani, Taylor Feltner, Cayce Cole, Omid Fatemi, Ashley Rodholm, Sam Bathe, Ariana Blair, Elyse Kanagaratnam, Olivia Kingsley
Still Photography: Bridget Bennett, Da’Shaunae Marisa, Maddie McGarvey, Valerie Wall
Additional Cinematography: Valerie Wall, Alanna Wall, Laila Jones
Sound Operator: Zach Mueller
Sound Design & Mix: Daniel Woo
Color: Matty Neikrug
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This film is a co-production of Even/Odd and Zendesk. Filmed and photographed on location in Dayton, Ohio. © 2021 Zendesk Inc.