Undergraduate Summer Research Award

Say Goodbye focuses on a poignant story that resonates with most Midwestern cities, which have lost a large part of their population since the 1970s, leaving their economies in a state of contraction for decades to come. Cleveland lost about half of its population since the 1960s. Then came the foreclosure crises in 2000s which left  many neighborhoods as half ghost towns. Slavic Village was in the center of this crisis. Historically a bustling center of Czech and Polish immigrant life, now it has become a blighted wasteland. But what to do? How to honor the past and move on to a brighter future? Say Goodbye will answer these questions and more through an observational, character-centered approach and leave audiences pondering the story of cities as living things.

The cinematic storytelling process provides a perfect opportunity for collaboration with undergraduate students. In the professional world, most creative projects are carried out by contributions from a group of creatives. If supported by the USRA, this project will allow students to participate in the creation of this project as members of a creative of team and mentees.