US Together Staff Movie Night, Featuring Cigdem Slankard!
Last Wednesday (2/3), US Together hosted a special film screening of the documentary film Dreamhood, followed by a Q&A with the director herself, Cigdem Slankard. This appreciation event was put together by US Together’s AmeriCorps VISTAs for staff and volunteers from all three offices.
The director of Dreamhood, Cigdem Slankard, is a Cleveland based filmmaker who was born and raised in Turkey. She received her BA in translation and interpreting from Bogazici University (Istanbul, Turkey) in 1999. She came to the United States in 1998 to study film and video at State University of New York in Binghamton. In 2002, Cigdem received a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking from Ohio University. Her work focuses on popular culture and identity issues, and her recent works include short documentaries, virtual reality cinema and video art pieces.
Cigdem Slankard’s feature length documentary film, Dreamhood, examines life in the International Village neighborhood in Cleveland, OH and captures the transformation of the community as it grows in size and diversity.
The film follows the International Village Project, which is rooted in the West Side neighborhoods of Stockyard and Clark-Fulton. The project’s initiative is to transform these two neighborhoods that are still affected by the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis. The project works to revitalize and repopulate these neighborhoods by providing housing for immigrant and refugee families resettling in Cleveland.
The film follows longtime residents as well as newcomers within the International Village. The overarching project objective is to provide a forum for the complex yet relatable story of the refugee communities in Cleveland.
US Together staff and volunteers appreciated watching a film that took place so close to home and featured the New Americans that have become our neighbors, friends and family. Cigdem Slankard’s presence after the film made the evening even more special for all those who attended.
The next US Together volunteer appreciation event will be a book club that discusses Dina Nayeri’s book, The Ungrateful Refugee. These events give volunteers a chance to bond and connect over their experiences working with refugees all over Ohio. The US Together AmeriCorps VISTAs look forward to discussing this special book and facilitating dialogue with volunteers in a couple of weeks!