
“Vater der Gurken” (engl. “Father of the Cucumbers”) is an animated documentary short film about a German-Syrian family in the 1970s who embark on a journey to Aleppo to return to the father’s homeland. Throughout the film, two family members share their perspectives and memories of leaving Germany for Syria, going on a multi-day journey, arriving in Aleppo without speaking a word of Arabic, and learning to feel at home in the beautiful city of Aleppo. “Vater der Gurken” is a personal family history as well as a testimony of life choices and migration in the 1970s — in the opposite direction of how migration is often discussed in the western context nowadays.
A film by
Birte Rauch & Samira Rehmert
Duration
11 minutes, 37 seconds
Genre
Animation, documentary, short
Style
2D-animation with illustration and archival photographic material
Completed
October 2024
Language
German audio, English subtitles




The different locations of Germany and Syria are marked in the color scheme of the entire film including the characters, so during the movement of the family there is a shift in colors and atmosphere. For the story, Germany is portrayed in a somewhat gloomy and cloudy light, while Syria is depicted in warm, sandy colours – in keeping with the emotions of the characters.
From a distance the characters are recognisable in an abstract, reduced form and have more detail in close-up views.








Idea, Animation, Illustration & Dramaturgy
Birte Rauch & Samira Rehmert
Music
Anas Homsi
Dramaturgy Consulting
Lena Langer & Jonathan Carl
Title & Credit Letterings
Samira Rehmert
Special Thanks to
Prof. Klaus Dufke, Prof. Lisa Bucher, Joh Weisgerber