Cigdem Slankard

Cigdem Slankard is a filmmaker, scholar, and educator, currently serving as Director of the School of Film & Media Arts at Cleveland State University. Her creative and scholarly work explores themes of migration, community, identity, and cross-cultural experience through documentary filmmaking and immersive media. Her films and media projects have screened at film festivals and cultural venues internationally and have received numerous awards and recognitions.

Originally from Turkey, Slankard earned a B.A. in Translation and Interpreting from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and an MFA in Film from Ohio University. Her background moving between cultures and disciplines informs both her artistic practice and her approach to teaching and leadership.

Before joining Cleveland State University, Slankard taught at a range of institutions, including an HBCU, a community college, a liberal arts college, and a public research university—experiences that continue to shape her commitment to inclusive and student-centered film education. In addition to her teaching and administrative work, she remains an active filmmaker engaged in collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, often working with community partners and cultural organizations in Northeast Ohio.