Rosemary A. Rotondi
Phone/Fax: 212-989-2025
Email: rotondiresearch@nyc.rr.com
Cell: 917-207-6818
Web: archivalfilmresearch.com

Professional Experience

TEENAGE June to present day
Archival researcher for feature length documentary by Matt Wolf based on Jon Savage's book TEENAGE.

THE HISTORY CHANNEL May to June 2010
Archival researcher for a pilot on American Frontiersmen directed by Zero to Zero Productions.

DIRTY POOLE April 2010 to present day
Archival film and network news/photo researcher for this feature length documentary about Wakefield Poole created by Jim Tushinski.

MULBERRY CHILD February 2010
Archival film researcher for feature length documentary by Susan Morgan Cooper on the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

INSIDE JOB August to October 2009
Contributed additional network news/photo/text research toward this feature length documentary by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Charles Ferguson on the worldwide economic crisis. Documentary premiered in the Cannes Film Festival in May 2010. Sony Pictures Classics will distribute the documentary worldwide. www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/

ANATOMY OF A CLOSET July to September 2009
Archival film researcher for 60-minute documentary by Teale-Edwards Productions, LLC. In rotation on OVATION.

PEARSON EDUCATION PUBLISHING May to November 2009
Photo researcher for a educational book scheduled for release in 2011 entitled THINK Critically.

EDIE & THEA: A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT October 2008 to January 2009
Archival film consultant on this award winning documentary by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir about a lesbian couple's 42-year "engagement" and marriage in Toronto, Canada. Produced by Sundance Film Channel. blessblessproductions.com

MAKING THE BOYS October 2008 to January 2010
Chief archival film researcher for feature length documentary by Crayton Robey on Mart Crowley’s play THE BOYS IN THE BAND and its journey to Off-Broadway in the 1960’s. Accepted into Berlinale 2010.
Link to schedule to Berlinale for Making the Boys screenings.

AMERICA IS HARD TO FIND February 2004 to present day
Associate Producer, archival researcher and grant writer for 90-minute documentary by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir/Bless Bless Productions on the Berrigan Brothers and the Catholic Left anti-war movement.

GENOMANIA January 2007 to present day
Senior archival film researcher for feature length documentary examining gene therapy and medical research highlights for Paragon Media.

HISTORY STREET April 2008 to present day
Senior archival film researcher for a series of 30-minute short documentaries by Ernie Savage and Greg LaPorta on New York City’s most famous streets. savagelaporta.com/Production.html

FAIR GAME February to March 2009
Archival film researcher and network news researcher for this feature film by Doug Liman based on the autobiography by Valerie Plame. Scheduled for release in Cannes Film Festival May 20, 2010.

JOHNNIE BE GOOD January to March 2009
Archival film researcher on this documentary by Art Holliday about Rock and Roll Hall of Famer blues musician/pianist Johnnie Johnson. johnniebegoodthemovie.com

AMERICAN COUP December 2008 to February 2009
Chief archival film researcher for this documentary by Joe Ayella about the CIA-led overthrow of democratically elected Iranian government in 1953 and its lingering impact today.

MOXIE FIRECRACKER FILMS/BARACK OBAMA CAMPAIGN AD
August 2008
Performed archival film/stills research for documentarian Rory Kennedy, co-founder and co-president of Moxie Firecracker Films, for short film "spots" created for Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign utilized in October 2008.

A&E BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL: MEL GIBSON and THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
July to October 2008
Chief archival film researcher for these two one-hour biographies by MarkMark Productions. These BIOs ran on A&E BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL over November 2008.

THE END OF AMERICA: LETTER OF WARNING TO A YOUNG PATRIOT
June to August 2008
Chief archival film researcher for this documentary based on the book by writer
Naomi Wolf.  Created by Academy Award nominated documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. Exhibited December 3-17, 2008, at the IFC Center, NYC.
Release date: January 20, 2009, on DVD.
endofamericamovie.com/index.php
variety.com/review/
movies.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/movies/03end.html?ref=arts

DEEN TIGHT June to July 2008
Chief archival film researcher for this documentary by producer Ilyas Curtis about American Muslim Hip Hop and the racism and prejudice they confront in the music industry.

AMAZING SPORTS STORIES March to April 2008
Chief archival film researcher for a 13-episode series on “little known athletes” with inspiring stories from the past century. Produced by Red Line Films and Fox Sports Network. Running in rotation on the Fox Sports Network.

RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE November 2007 to February 2009
Chief Archival Film Researcher for this feature length documentary on Barack Obama and race relations in America, and racial identity by Eric Fournier. racetowhitehousemovie.com

PICASSO AND BRAQUE GO TO THE MOVIES August to September 2007 
Researcher for this documentary by Arne Glimcher, The Pace Gallery, NY, NY. Documentary released May 28, 2010 at Cinema Village, NYC. www.arthousefilmsonline.com/2009/02/picasso-braque.html
www.variety.com/review/VE1117938954.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=picasso+and+braque+go+to+the+movies

ALL IN April to October 2007
Chief Archival Film Researcher on this documentary on the history of poker playing in America. Created by 4th Row Productions. To be completed in 2010.

AN UNLIKELY WEAPON: THE EDDIE ADAMS STORY January to September 2007
Chief Archival Film Researcher for this feature length documentary on Photographer Eddie Adams by Susan Morgan Cooper. This documentary won for Best Documentary at the Avignon Film Festival, 2008. Documentary featured in the 12th Annual DOCUWEEK International Documentary Association festival, New York City, August 8-14, 2008.This documentary played at the Quad Theater in New York City in April 2009 and is playing nationwide. anunlikelyweapon.com/

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST: DISCOVERING BETHANY
January to June 2007
Chief Archival Film Researcher for this 47-minute documentary created by 10,000 Films/Clay Morton Productions. To be released in 2008. The documentary is concerned with the recent discovery of the baptism site of Jesus Christ in an area known as ‘Wadi al-Kharrar’ on the east bank of the river Jordan, the “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” of the Gospels. DVD to be released in 2009. tenthousandfilms.com/Baptism-of-Christ-film.html

OBSCENE May to August 2006
Archival researcher for Daniel O’Connor’s documentary on Grove Press Publisher, Barney Rosset.
This documentary was featured in The Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007.
Exhibited at The Independent Film Center, October 16, 2007 as part of the Stranger Than Fiction series.
DVD release March 2010.
The New York Times review, September 24, 2008, nytimes.com/2008/09/24/movies/
The New York Magazine review, nymag.com/movies/features/50500/

JOURNEY TO FREEDOM
February 2003 to September 2004; June to July 2006; May to December 2007;
April to June 2008
Archival researcher for this 60-minute documentary by Deborah Shaffer about Waitstill and Martha Sharp, two Holocaust refugee advocates and World War II activists from Wellesley, MA.
To be released in 2010. journeytofreedomfilm.com

THE PERFECT MATCH July 2006 to January 2007
Archival researcher for 60 minute documentary by Betsy Blankenbaker on Althea Gibson, the first African-American tennis star.

BACK HOME March to June 2006
Archival film researcher on this documentary about a Rwandan genocide survivor's return to his homeland, directed by J.B. Rutagarama and produced by Linda Vester. Currently in circulation world-wide on documentary festival network. Released in 2006. Special Mention, AFI Film Festival 2006.

SPIRIT OF THE MARATHON February to April 2006
Archival film researcher for this film by Jon Dunham regarding six unique marathon runners on four continents preparing to run The Chicago Marathon.

GONE TO TEXAS: THE LIVES OF FORREST CARTER January 2004 to 2007
Archival researcher for this documentary by Douglas Newman. “GONE TO TEXAS: The Lives of Forrest Carter” takes viewers on a journey through Carter's life to explore questions of race and identity in America. Corporation for Public Broadcasting and ITVS co-production.

BROKEN BROTHERHOOD: VIETNAM AND THE BOYS FROM COLGATE 2004
Chief archival film researcher for an autobiographical documentary by filmmaker Lou Buttino.
This documentary centers on the continuing unease about the Vietnam War conflict in American memory through Mr. Buttino's own experiences as a former conscientious objector and the recollections of those of his fellow Colgate University alumni from the 1960s and 1970s, some of whom served in the war. This documentary aired on New York City Public Television network station Thirteen/WNET TV on November 13, 2005.

SAVING BON PO 2002 to 2003
Archival researcher for 60-minute documentary by Betsy Blankenbaker about a Tibetan lama refugee who travels back to his homeland after 43 years in exile.

THE PRIME TIME CLOSET (Applause Books) Released in August 2002
Served as researcher for this book by Professor Stephen Tropiano (Ithaca College) on the history of gays and lesbians on television.

SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT July 2000 to September 2002
Archival researcher and grant writer for documentary by Betsy Blankenbaker about the first all-black basketball team in Indianapolis to win a state championship in the 1950s. Documentary premiered in April 2007 in nationwide art cinemas.

BAND OF BROTHERS: WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER 2000
Archival researcher for HBO-produced documentary directed by Mark Cowen on the 101st Airborne Division paratroopers who fought the Battle of the Bulge. Airing on HBO as of November 2001. (This documentary accompanied a 10-part narrative series titled BAND OF BROTHERS.) This documentary runs in rotation on HBO's and the History Channel's schedule to this day and on RoadRunner/Time Warner free video on-demand online.

SPRING GARDEN 2000
Archival researcher/rights clearance for a six-CD-ROM documentary series on pregnancy and post-partum depression created by the Surgeon General and the United States Air Force for use by the armed forces both nationwide and internationally.

OF CIVIL WRONGS & RIGHTS 1999
Archival film researcher for 60-minute documentary by Dorka Keehn and Eric Fournier, examining the life of Fred Korematsu, who resisted the internment of 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II by challenging the constitutionality of the camps to the Supreme Court. This was on the short list of Academy Award-nominated documentaries for 2001. Accepted into the Sundance Film Festival, January 2001. Aired on PBS' P.O.V. program on July 15, 2003. Documentary mentioned in the review, “In the Trenches,” by The New Yorker Magazine, September 24th, 2007 issue: “PBS has also presented good work [on World War II]: a documentary in its P.O.V. series, ‘Of Civil Wrongs and Rights,’...”

NEW YORK IN THE FIFTIES 1998 to 2000
Archival film researcher for 90-minute documentary, based on the book by novelist Dan Wakefield. Betsy Blankenbaker, filmmaker. Accepted into and exhibited at the Angelika Theater’s Independent Feature Market Place in September 2000. Premiered at the Pioneer Theater in New York City, February 2001 and aired on the Sundance Film Channel cable network March through June 2001.

THE DANCE OF THE WARRIOR 1997 to 1999
Archival film researcher for Marie Brodeur/Comarie documentary, a National Film Board of Canada production. Acted as liaison in the US for Brodeur and investigated all archives containing footage on war dances from a broad spectrum of international cultures. In April 2002, this documentary won the Grand Prix Special du Jury Prize at the 11th Annual Grand Prix International Video Danse Festival, organized by UNESCO.

PETER FRIEDMAN 1998 to 2000
Administrative assistant/researcher for award-winning documentarian.

CINEASTE MAGAZINE 1995 to 2002
Associate/grant writer for this 35-year-old film magazine. Raised operating monies from the New York State Council on the Arts, and secured grants from the National Endowment for the Arts/Media Arts Program for general operating support; also received support for the magazine from the Eastman Foundation and the Irish Institute. Wrote three major proposals per year for Cineaste. Continue to write reviews for the magazine.

DANIEL M. REEVES/SHAKTI PRODUCTIONS, NYC and Scotland, UK 1986 to 1997
I. Co-producer, grant writer, publicist and archival film researcher for the video artist Daniel Reeves’ Shakti Productions. Other duties included fundraising, public relations, securing artist residencies and lecture tours, finding corporate sponsors, and arranging exhibitions for video art tapes and installations at museums such as the High Museum of Art, the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, Pacific Film Archives and many others. Served as Reeves’ chief liaison with major domestic and international video art festivals, such as Montage 93 and the New York Film Festival’s 1995 Video Festival; with all major grant agencies, including the New York State Council on the Arts, New Television, Art Matters, Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts/Media Arts Program and Visual Arts Program and the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship Program; with major video art curators and video distributors in the US and overseas; and with television stations such as New Television, WGBH, Le Sept Arte and Channel Four. Raised $275,000 in grants and $75,000 in corporate in-kind donations. In 1990, was instrumental in Reeves obtaining a six-month International Cultural Exchange Fellowship with Japan, through the NEA.

II. Performed the above responsibilities for Reeves on the following video art tapes and installations: GANAPATI/A SPIRIT IN THE BUSH (1986), SOMBRA A SOMBRA (1988), OBSESSIVE BECOMING (1995), THE WELL OF PATIENCE (1988), and EINGANG/THE WAY IN (1990, 1993), and ONE WITH EVERYTHING (1997).

THE BRANDON TEENA STORY 1994 to 1997
Grant writer/researcher for documentary by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir, Bless Bless Productions. Arranged and secured initial in-kind grant of off-line and post-production editing time from the Wexner Center for the Arts; raised monies from Art Matters, Inc. and the Astraea Foundation. Other responsibilities included composing initial project summary, correspondence with various interviewees and office managerial tasks.
10th year Anniversary Edition released in 2008.

NOAH'S RAVEN 1992 to 1993
Production associate/archival film and visual researcher for video artist Mary Lucier, for her eight-channel video art installation, which premiered at the Toledo Museum of Art in spring 1993. This installation is now traveling to five other sites within the US, such as the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts in Cambridge, MA.

REGRET TO INFORM 1988 to 1991
Assistant producer/researcher on Barbara Sonneborn's documentary, released in 1999. Assembled first successful NEA/Media Arts Program grant, which provided seed monies for production. Conducted preliminary interviews with widows of Vietnam veterans and Vietnam veterans’ organizations; did publicity outreach for project, which resulted in a 1992 article published in Ms. magazine and in radio coverage; researched and targeted sources for funding in New York and California.
Documentary was nominated for an Academy Award in February 1999.

ELECTRONIC ARTS INTERMIX 1988
Coordinator of first video art preservation project on the East Coast for the largest video art tape distributor in North America. Oversaw the remastering of 30 rare video art tapes from the 1960s and 1970s. Delivered lecture on project at National Media Arts Convention in Atlanta, GA, May 1988.

Education

New York University, Masters of Arts in Cinema Studies 1986
Suffolk University, Bachelor of Science in Journalism/Film Studies 1980
Citation for Honors in English 1980

Fellowship

National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, DC 1985
One of 15 recipients of Fellowship for Arts Managers. Initiated and carried out research projects for the Visual Arts department. Attended panel meetings pertaining to each department at the NEA, as well as National Council on the Arts meetings.

Professional Memberships

The Museum of Television and Radio, Film Forum, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Society for Cinema Studies, FOCAL (The Federation of Commercial AudioVisual Libraries Limited), Southern Poverty Law Center, International Documentary Association. Have served as secretary of arts mandated co-operative building since 1993. Co-founder of the film appreciation group, Nous Allons Au Cinema.

Special note: On February 11, 2010 I participated in DOCUMENTORS session on archival film research.
documentaryhowto.com