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Tanya Sleiman

Tanya Sleiman
Documentary filmmaker and professor Tanya Sleiman currently teaches film and television production in California and recently taught with NYU as the 2011 on-site Program Director for documentary film and photography in Cuba. Her 2008 short essay, "A Chronicle Of Concrete," screened on PBS, in international festivals and US exhibitions. Her 2009 documentary Iraq in the USA was featured on California Public Radio for its vibrant collective portrait of Iraqi refugees in a new wave of migration to US shores. In 2008, Tanya dove into her exploration of Jewish American photographer Helen Levitt’s legacy, sharing a 30-minute film version at Cantor Arts Center for their 2011 exhibit “In a New York Minute: Photographs by Helen Levitt.” A former Fulbright Scholar, Tanya earned her MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University.

Blog Posts

"95 Lives" Movie Poster

95 Lives: A Film You Should Know About

Tanya Sleiman

Ever wanted to learn more about an amazing, captivating, female pioneer only to find the story undocumented, or worse, simply buried? That's what happened to me when I discovered the work of Jewish American photographer Helen Levitt. I am making a film to fill that gaping hole. 95 Lives uncovers Helen Levitt's legendary career documenting NYC streets for 70 years and transforming American street photography forever. Born in 1913 in Brooklyn to Jewish Russian parents, Levitt died at aged 95 with an outpouring of obituaries celebrating her art while noting her disdain for fame.

Topics: Photography, Film

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. " Tanya Sleiman ." (Viewed on March 20, 2023) <https://jwa.org/blog/author/tanya-sleiman>.