06 October 2026
“The Holdovers” Film Screening Held as Part of the Back to Campus Events
As part of the “Back to Campus” events organized at Istanbul Gelisim University to support students’ adaptation to the new academic term and contribute to their cultural development, a screening of The Holdovers was held. Conducted under the guidance of Asst. Prof. Seyra Kestel, the event provided students with an opportunity to reflect on the concepts of education, equality of opportunity, social exclusion, belonging, and interpersonal solidarity through cinema.
Directed by Alexander Payne, The Holdovers is set in a boarding school in the United States during the 1970s. The film centers on the story of students who, for various reasons, are required to remain at school during the Christmas holiday and Paul Hunham, a strict and distant history teacher assigned to supervise them. In particular, the relationship that gradually develops between Hunham and Angus Tully, a student who is unable to return home, reveals how individuals from different generations and life experiences can find common ground through feelings of loneliness, loss, exclusion, and belonging. As the characters discover one another’s vulnerabilities, the film presents the concepts of solidarity and empathy through a powerful narrative.
The film screening was evaluated within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Through the event, students were encouraged to develop an awareness that education is not limited to the transmission of academic knowledge but is a multidimensional process that also encompasses inclusivity, equality, belonging, and interpersonal solidarity.
The film screening was evaluated within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Through the event, students were encouraged to develop an awareness that education is not limited to the transmission of academic knowledge but is a multidimensional process that also encompasses inclusivity, equality, belonging, and interpersonal solidarity.