From Damascus to Chicago
Two young Syrian siblings recently resettled in Chicago enroll in a dance class, while the film follows their family's experiences in navigating a new city and country.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Colleen Cassingham and Alex Lederman
Watch From Damascus to Chicago here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We hope this film inspires Americans to welcome refugees into their communities, and shows them how it can be done. The Obidat family is flourishing in part because their community has pitched in to provide resources and relationships that pick up where meager resettlement provisions end. Fundraising, donations, sponsorship of dance and music classes, passing job opportunities through word-of-mouth and volunteers for language instruction have provided stepping stones to full independence.
Though they could have folded, bent and broken under the circumstances of their life, the Obidats embraced every opportunity and pushed forward. Their new life in Chicago expands before them, as they jettison fear and doubt and reach for the future.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
To combat compassion fatigue.
During the time we were filming, Aleppo was under siege, burning, and we’ve seen a continued series of cities targeted, bombed, captured, shelled, and denied aid. The terror has only escalated, but Syria’s moment in the spotlight has passed. We’re at a point where many audiences are exhausted by the prospect of watching yet another story about Syrian refugees. But it’s our duty to keep listening, to keep our eyes glued to the terror still being inflicted daily on Syrians, and to maintain our motivation to demand humane and thoughtful political action for them.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
We wanted to tell a surprising story of human dignity in the present--one that could be about your family--rather than one of past horror and pitiable circumstances. It's true that the Obidat family saw family members killed, suffered displacement multiple times and continues to deal with the emotional and financial stress of a cancer diagnosis in the family. But since finally reaching Chicago in 2015, Mohammad, Asmaa, Retaj and Akram have made a new life for themselves and have found joy and stability again.
Through this film, we hope to bridge the gap people see between themselves and refugees, both near and distant. The Obidat family are the warmest, kindest, most resilient people we know. Although their histories vary dramatically from our own, there is little that separates us.
Still, we cannot forget the loneliness and isolation that comes with being a refugee. The Obidats grapple daily with the fear that they may not make ends meet. They are so deserving of comfort and peace of mind. But they don't wait for it to be bestowed upon them. Instead, they create it.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When we began this project, we did not know where it would lead. We knew the type of story we wanted to tell -- one that humanized those too often misrepresented -- and we knew key elements of the story (such as the dance class and Mohammad's cancer), but we did not know how events would play out. This only became apparent as we spent more time with the Obidats; we worked to honestly portray the major developments in their lives while allowing them to speak for themselves -- a right too often stripped for refugees.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Audiences love the Obidat family and finds them very endearing. People have told us that they’ve been inspired to go out and volunteer with refugees in their own community.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We’ve been so grateful for the positive feedback on the film and for the impact it's had on people. But we do want to make sure that people's shifting attitudes about refugees are rooted in a belief that every human has a right to seek and find safety, rather than an infatuation with the photogenic kids doing cute moves in dance class. Change needs to be systemic rather than just attitudinal.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We hope to find new audiences all over the world and surprise them that a family so distant in location and life experience can feel so familiar.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Anyone hoping to bridge the gap between refugees and their new communities can get in touch to help spread this film's message, whether volunteer organizations doing hands-on work, journalists amplifying unheard voices, or distributors looking to reach new audiences.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We hope our film opens dialogue about how to help those less fortunate in viewers' local communities and inspires audiences to take action to help. We also hope it helps viewers move beyond preconceptions and stereotypes -- even those they didn't realize they had.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Are justice and peace zero sum games? Will collectively caring for the most vulnerable in our world weaken us, or will it enrich us?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Colleen is co-directing (as part of the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio) an experimental short documentary following a Chinese dissident seeking asylum in New York City. She’s also producing a feature documentary about a Moroccan circus troupe fighting eviction from the abandoned slaughterhouse they call home. As an Associate Producer at Multitude Films in Brooklyn, she’s working on feature documentary The Feeling of Being Watched (Tribeca 2018), uncovering a decades-long FBI terrorism probe targeting an Arab-American neighborhood in Chicago.
Alex is currently a Deputy News Editor at Al Jazeera English at the network's headquarters in Doha, Qatar. He works at the center of the AJE's global news gathering operation.
Interview: April 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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From Damascus to Chicago
Two young Syrian siblings recently resettled in Chicago enroll in a dance class, while the film follows their family's experiences in navigating a new city and country.
Length: 12 mins
Director: Colleen Cassingham and Alex Lederman
Producer: Colleen Cassingham and Alex Lederman
Writer: Colleen Cassingham and Alex Lederman
About the writer, director and producer:
Colleen Cassingham is a documentary filmmaker and Associate Producer at Multitude Films.
Alex Lederman is a multimedia journalist currently working as a Deputy News Editor at Al Jazeera English in Doha, Qatar.
Key cast: Asmaa Obidat, Mohammad Obidat, Shawn Lent
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Anyone interested in spreading the film's message.
Other: FromDamascusToChicagoFilm.com
Made in association with: Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? A longer version of the film is on The Atlantic. Its broadcast on POV has passed, though the film is available through their lending library.