World Premier of Peace Corps Documentary at The Kennedy Center.
A once-in-a-generation gathering of the Peace Corps community, with a Ukrainian presence.
The world premier of “A Towering Task,” the first full-length documentary created to share a comprehensive view of the Peace Corps experience with the world, is finally here. Led by the film director Alana DeJoseph, the documentary was curated by a team of expert filmmakers with a passion for the Peace Corps community. Nearly a decade in the making, this documentary promises to share the full story of the Peace Corps and what it has meant to be a Peace Corps volunteer from the time of the agency’s inception through present day. Narrated by Annet Benning, this documentary is teeming with insights about the Peace Corps’ story. As is true with every Peace Corps experience, an interesting story seems to burst from every aspect of the film. From the origins of the documentary’s name, “A Towering Task,” to the riveting interviews with the founders of the Peace Corps featured throughout the film, this premier will be a momentous event for our Peace Corps community.
The film’s premier is set to honor the Peace Corps’ legacy at a venue that one would be hard-pressed to match in terms of its connection to our shared history. A Towering Task will be shown at the end of a full day of Peace Corps related activities of that will serve as the capstone to a 16-day-long festival celebrating the launch of a new outdoor pavilion expansion at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., named “The REACH.” The Reach pavilion will be open to the general public for the days events and will feature interactive exhibits designed to give the a taste of the Peace Corps experience.
All of the excitement surrounding this event is only amplified for those who’ve served in Ukraine by the special focus on Ukraine and Ukrainain culture in the documentary. Ukraine is one of just three host countries with feature interviews of serving volunteers that were conducted during their time in-country.
The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine’s leadership will be on-site lend support to the days’ activities. Drawing on our fruitful and impactful relationship with the RPCV tech start-up, Kinful.org, five premium virtual reality headsets will be made available to attendees who will be immersed in a virtual experience of what life is like for Peace Corps volunteers in Ukraine. The virtual reality footage of bazaars and babusias (plus much more of the Ukraine we knew as PCVs) was taken in the last few weeks by members the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine’s very own In-Country Committee of serving volunteers in Ukraine, led by Madeline Senay and incoming committee chair, Karl Afrikian.
Don’t forget about the host country nationals’ experience! Tetiana Kidruk, whether on paper or in practice, has served the Peace Corps’ mission in Ukraine in many capacities, from being a devoted counterpart to a former LCF. Tanya is now a Fulbright Scholar in the U.S. for one year and will be on hand at the event to strengthen and share the cross cultural bonds that are the foundation of the Peace Corps experience whether at home or abroad. Few gatherings in the history of the Peace Corps have promised such an open and accessible show of force for our community along with insights into what our shared values embody the world over.
Article contributed by: Kevin Blossfeld