Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Newhouse Alums Produce Documentary Celebrating Resilience and Passion Amidst Pandemic

Monday, April 17, 2023, By Christopher Munoz
Share
alumniNewhouse School of Public Communications

A new documentary, “Panacea,” created by two Syracuse University military visual journalism students during the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns, is set to premiere in Syracuse alongside an original ballet.

The film follows Caroline Sheridan, the current artistic director of Syracuse City Ballet, during the earliest days of the pandemic when she was a dancer with the company. Producers Laiqa Hitt ’20 and Jared Bunn ’20 were inspired to make the documentary after featuring Sheridan in a news story for their broadcast class.

Poster for Documentary "Panacea"Originally intended to focus on a staging of the ballet “Cinderella,” the filmmakers pivoted to showcase Sheridan’s efforts to dance with her friends one last time before they left on work visas due to statewide shutdowns. “For the next two weeks, Laiqa and I shot every day and edited every night. We felt this force driving us to tell this story because we knew it had to be told,” Bunn says.

For Sheridan, the film was about clinging to her creativity and passion. “’Panacea’ became my way to take one of the darkest moments of my life and use it as inspiration to create something beautiful and meaningful for myself and for everyone around me who I could see were hurting,” Sheridan says.

The documentary has won a number of awards, and it has been a labor of love for Hitt and Bunn. “From the sleepless nights with mounds of homework from being a full-time college student to moving to Japan and still continuing to edit the film while trying to juggle time zones with Jared and Caroline, then being in the middle of the desert, without any cell service or Wi-Fi, somewhere in California on a Marine Corps exercise after working 18-hour days and still editing the film—one could say that my dedication has been tested many times,” Hitt says. “But, I am so happy that I didn’t give up and that the team was patient with us and continued supporting us no matter what.”

One of the team’s many supporters was Hitt and Bunn’s professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Tula Goenka. She praised their talent and determination to get the film made. “Life is a miracle, and anything is possible with determination and perseverance…and excellent storytelling. My heartfelt congratulations to Caroline, Laiqa and Jared for believing in the magic of ‘Panacea,’” Goenka says.

The filmmakers are excited for audiences to experience both the film “Panacea” and the original ballet that shares its name.

“The film re-inspires you to take on that dream you’ve always set aside and to have a full-length performance beside it will make you want to tackle that dream immediately,” Hitt says. “I hope the audience falls in love with Caroline’s story just as fast as we did.”

“I want them to really enjoy it and hopefully be inspired that no matter what life places in front of you, you can always overcome it and find your own ‘Panacea,’” Bunn says.

“Panacea” premieres at the Oncenter Carrier Theater on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23. You can find more information on the Syracuse City Ballet website.

  • Author

Christopher Munoz

  • Recent
  • Chancellor Kent Syverud Honored as Distinguished Citizen of the Year at 57th Annual ScoutPower Event
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By News Staff
  • New Maymester Program Allows Student-Athletes to Develop ‘Democracy Playbook’
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • From Policy to Practice: How AI is Shaping the Future of Education
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Christopher Munoz
  • Kohn, Wiklund, Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professors
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Major League Soccer’s Meteoric Rise: From Underdog to Global Contender
    Wednesday, May 7, 2025, By Keith Kobland

More In Arts & Culture

School of Architecture Faculty Pablo Sequero Named Winner of 2025 Architectural League Prize

School of Architecture faculty member Pablo Sequero’s firm, salazarsequeromedina, has been named to the newest cohort of winners in the biennial Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, one of North America’s most prestigious awards for young practitioners. “An…

A&S Cool Class: Chinese Art

Exploring diverse artistic traditions is one way students in the College of Arts and Sciences develop global perspectives and enhance their cultural awareness, necessary for success in today’s connected world. Artworks from around the world, including those from China, offer…

Jane Austen Returns to Syracuse Stage With Fresh and Fun ‘Sense and Sensibility’

Syracuse Stage continues its 2024/25 season with celebrated actor and playwright Kate Hamill’s whirlwind adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” Directed by Jason O’Connell, “Sense and Sensibility” will run April 23-May 11 in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage,…

Syracuse Student Co-Headlines Society for New Music Concert April 13

Music by Syracuse University graduate student Rolando Gómez is part of the Society for New Music (SNM)’s annual Prizewinners Concert on Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m. at CNY Jazz Central (441 East Washington St., Syracuse). A master’s student in…

Faculty, Staff Invited to Participate in This Year’s ‘On My Own Time’ Celebration

The University is pleased to announce its participation in “On My Own Time”—a celebration of local visual arts that highlights the often-unsung artists who create art on their own time. This year is the 52nd anniversary of this program, organized…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.