News - October 16, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16, 2024
CONTACT: Elizabeth Whitman | C: 703.915.5830 | Elizabeth.Whitman@FinnPartners.com
Alexandria, Va. – Goodwin Living—a faith-based, not-for-profit, senior living and health care services organization in the National Capital Region—is proud to announce that it will sponsor the 18th annual Alexandria Film Festival taking place November 7-10, 2024. The four-day signature event is set to screen nearly 60 independent films in iconic local venues in Alexandria, Virginia.
“As an organization of intentional welcome where we strive to uplift every person’s story, we are grateful for the opportunity to sponsor the 2024 Alexandria Film Festival,” said Goodwin Living President and CEO Rob Liebreich. “The Alexandria Film Festival is long known to open hearts and minds to poignant, real-life stories, and this year’s film lineup is very close to home with The Test being featured and sharing the story of a Goodwin Living team member and his pursuit of U.S. citizenship with the support of older adults at Goodwin House Alexandria.”
“We are thrilled to have Goodwin Living as our partner in presenting this profoundly inspiring film,” said Alexandria Film Festival Founder and Executive Director Patti North. “Goodwin Living’s reputation for investing in the power and possibility of community and its quality of life is well deserved, and that’s what The Test is all about.”
Produced and co-directed by American University School of Communication Professors Claudia Myers and Laura Waters Hinson, The Test was inspired by the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program, which provides non-U.S. citizen team members and their families with holistic application support—from covering their citizenship application fees to connecting them with resident tutors to help them prepare for the citizenship test. The Test captures Goodwin Living team member Eric Frimpong and his journey to obtain U.S. citizenship, including the tutoring assistance he received from Goodwin House Alexandria residents Jill and Carl Miller and his reunion with his wife and children in Ghana after earning his citizenship and acquiring a U.S. passport.
"We are thrilled to show The Test at the Alexandria Film Festival,” said Claudia Myers, co-director and producer of the documentary. “This is where our story takes place, so it's especially meaningful for us to share it with a local audience."
The Test will screen on Saturday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m., at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Alexandria campus auditorium.
Now in its sixth year, the resident-inspired Goodwin Living Citizenship Program has helped 200 individuals – team members like Eric and their families – realize their dreams of American citizenship, all while helping residents find purpose, combatting the healthcare workforce shortage and strengthening the bonds between residents and team members at its senior living communities. In the U.S. legally with work permits, these employees often find the application costs a major barrier to obtaining U.S. citizenship. Fueled by generous donors to the Goodwin Living Foundation, the organization pays for the citizenship application fee for Goodwin Living team members and up to two immediate family members.
Just last month, the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program marked this milestone and celebrated team members and their loved ones’ progress on the path to citizenship with three ceremonies hosted across Goodwin Living’s three senior living communities.
“We are so grateful for the producers of The Test for capturing two groups of society that are often underestimated – older adults and immigrants – who come together to support each other,” said Liebreich. “The Test reveals the remarkable sacrifice of immigrants to America and the contributions they bring to our country every day.”
At the festival, The Test will air alongside a robust lineup of rigorously selected, high-quality short and feature length films from local, national and international independent filmmakers at Alexandria’s favorite venues, including Beatley Library, the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, and NVCC’s Alexandria campus auditorium. The agenda also includes Q&A panels for filmmakers to share their creative process and answer audience questions.
For more information on this year’s Alexandria Film festival, please visit: https://alexfilmfest.com/.
For more information on the documentary, please visit www.testdocumentary.com. The Test has screened at over 20 film festivals including:
For more information about Goodwin Living and the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program please visit https://goodwinliving.org/.
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About Goodwin Living™ (goodwinliving.org): Goodwin Living™ touches the lives of thousands of people every day through its range of senior living communities, specialized healthcare services, community partnerships and philanthropic endeavors. With a mission to support, honor and uplift the lives of others (specifically older adults and those who care for them), Goodwin Living leads the way in expanding the places and ways we can all thrive and find purpose as we age. Older adults will discover options that meet them where they want to be, and those options are managed and provided by team members who represent more than 65 countries. Goodwin Living has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years and has been named the #2 Top Workplace for 2024. Get more information at GoodwinLiving.org or by following Goodwin Living on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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