Mamika
Courtesy Sacha Goldberger
When 94-year-old Frederika Goldberger retired in the early 80s, she was bored and unhappy, so her grandson, Sacha Goldberger, began creating incredible photographs of her to lift her spirits and keep her active.
After a few years and plenty of photoshoots, Mamika – Frederika’s superhero alter ego – was created.
“I always loved comics and I wanted to show what could happen to superheroes when they are old,” Sacha told TODAY.com.
“The pictures gave her something to do again and helped give her more self-confidence again,” Sacha said. “It’s a love story. Before I made the pictures, I wanted everyone to know her – she’s incredible.”
But long before she posed for the camera, Frederika was a hero. Born a baroness into a wealthly Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, she was forced into hiding during World War II. Later, Frederika and her husband would risk their lives to help hide others from the Nazis – by the end of the war, her efforts had saved 10 people. Frederika later relocated to France where she raised her family.
Mamika – which translates to “my little grandma” in Hungarian – no longer has to worry about post-retirement boredom. This past April Sacha’s first book, Mamika: My Mighty Little Grandmother was published and the duo has begun working on a movie together.
“Before, I’d see pictures of older people and they always looked sad,” Sacha said. “I wanted to show that you can be old and still have a sense of humor and be fun.”
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Frederika Goldberger, Better Known as Mamika, Turns Old Age Into a Super Power