Ioana Țurcan

Studying in the U.S. can be inspiring and challenging because you get exposed to different situations and unique cultures that are peculiar to the States. The Fulbright program offered me a Student Award to start my MFA in Film at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, NY. It was an amazing year and I’m still halfway through my U.S. experience.

When you’re an MFA candidate at an U.S. university, you have a chance to get in touch with a lot of artists and filmmakers that give lectures before your class, the likes of Nick Cassavetes, Zsigmond Vilmos or Nancy Schreiber, as an MFA candidate, as well as the opportunity to create and experiment with different visual materials belonging to a wide variety of fields.

In this case, making contact with other cultures inspired me to write the script and direct the short Little Father, which was selected in the Romanian New Wave program and screened within the Short Film Corner, at the Cannes Film Festival. The short was also one of the selected projects that got supported by the Creative Opportunity Grant offered in my Transmedia Department. Also, the documentary I was working on and managed to finish at Syracuse, The Other Life of Charon, was selected at Visions du Reel, Doc Outlook International Market in Nyon.

While experiencing other media, I was able to take video art classes with Emily Vey Duke and Tom Sherman, an opportunity that gave me the chance to create and design my first art installation called My Gypsy Relatives, hosted at Spark Contemporary Art Space.

Regarding extracurricular activities, I was part of Orange Pulse Dance Troupe, organized charity events for Helping Hounds, Dog Rescue, and acted as a competing member of the Syracuse Boxing Club, being one of the first three female boxers to participate in the 2015 National Championship.

After such a full and enriching year, the professors in my department offered me a Teaching and Instructional Assistantship, which will allow me to continue my second year at the College of Visual and Performing Arts. I’m looking forward to resuming my master’s program and to learning more about my field, as well as about the United States.