Tanya Sleiman comes to documentary after a career in education, supporting international students and creating intercultural student programs. She is interested in stories of where cultures meet and transform. She is drawn to character portraits and visual essays, and is pursuing the broad documentary genre for its ability to create visual poetry by observing beauty in the ordinary aspects of our worlds. Tanya has an academic background in Middle East Studies and History, and earned a Fulbright Scholarship in Arabic language and literature for studies in Damascus, Syria.

A Chronicle of Concrete
16mm color film
6:20 min.

Tracing cement from its birth deep in the bowels of the earth, this visual essay takes a fresh look at cement, transforming an otherwise ordinary part of our world that is so ubiquitous, we almost don't see it.

pillow fight club
Co-directed by Tanya Sleiman
and Jeffrey Seth
Digital Video - Widescreen
6:44 min.

Thousands of people converge to pummel each other with overstuffed pillows on Valentine's Day in a flash mob. This film explores this widespread counter-culture phenomenon happening in urban settings worldwide.

If No War?
16mm black and white film
5:40 min.

A meditation on strength and companionship explored through the life story of Yoshi, a 30-year California resident born in pre-WWII Japan.