Biography

Mark Elijah Rosenberg is a film director, writer, editor and producer, and is the Founder and former Artistic Director of Rooftop Films.

Mark’s feature film, "Approaching the Unknown," tells the story of a man alone on a one-way journey in space. It is a philosophical sci-fi film about exploring the limits of human experience to appreciate that the mysteries of the universe will always be ineffable. The film was theatrically distributed by Paramount Pictures, and is available on iTunes and Amazon. "Approaching the Unknown" (formerly titled "Ad Inexplorata") was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, was given the NHK Screenwriting Award and the Indian Paintbrush Award, and was supported by Creative Capital, the San Francisco Film Society, The Jerome Foundation and Cinereach. The film stars Mark Strong, Luke Wilson, Sanaa Lathan, Anders Danielson Lie and Charles Baker.

Mark directed, co-produced and created the story for "Year Million," a six-hour fiction / documentary hybrid mini-series about the effects of technology on the future of humanity. The show aired on National Geographic and was nominated for two Emmy Awards.

Mark’s film "New Partner" played at the Montclair Film Festival, the Bicycle Film Festival, and others; and the film "_____ in Paris" premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival. Mark was commissioned by The Simons Foundation and the Science New Wave to create "A Tremendous Explosion of Stillness and Quiet," a short film about research into the use of psychedelics to treat clinical depression.

Mark also works on non-traditional film formats and audio. He created "I’m Not Bad...," a live performance documentary, featuring multi-screen video projections of original footage and physical props, telling a story about the epiphanies that accompanied his father’s cancer diagnosis. The piece was performed at wav.pool in Brooklyn. Mark created an 8-channel video installation titled "What Used to Be Here?" featuring abstract textures photographed around the world with accompanying micro-narratives. The installation appeared at the Fridman Gallery in Manhattan. His audio series "The Past And..." includes multiple episodes, interweaving personal histories with documentary interviews on science, art and history. One episode was featured on the roving audio performance series "Spectral Transmissions."

Mark's taste and work favor low-budget, personal cinema. Mark has shot, directed, and edited numerous short films, and was a producer-editor on the Emmy Award-winning WNYE television show "IMNY," where he taught video production to New York City public school students. Mark co-produced "Orbit(Film)," an omnibus movie about our solar system, and directed the Mars film, titled "No Message Received." He is also developing a screenplay about a man who discovers he has a limited but amazing super power, a comic book series about a man who reads people’s journals, and other magical realist films.

Born and raised in New York City, Mark Elijah Rosenberg received his BA from Vassar College and began making and showing movies on his roof in 1997 as the Founder and Artistic Director of Rooftop Films, a non-profit organization committed to building community through the medium of film, by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing and supporting new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists. Under Mark’s leadership, Rooftop Films has become one of the most innovative film companies in the country, creating unique events for hundreds of films each year and attracting over 40,000 attendees annually.

Mark has published articles on filmmaking and programming, and been a guest lecturer at places such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Texas. Mark has served on grants panels for Cinereach, NYSCA, LMCC and Renew Media. Mark has programmed film screenings across the world, and was on the jury at numerous festivals including Sundance and SXSW. Mark teaches film production and theory at Hunter College.

Mark is an infielder for the Ramblers amateur baseball team, a (retired) receiver on a nationally-traveling NYGFL flag football team, the proud father of dogs named Dizzy (RIP) and Zig-Zag, plus a Little Planet named Elliot, and the husband of Stephanie Skaff, a musician and writer and the Executive Director of play:ground NYC.
- IMDb mini biography by: E