Robert “Bob” Rosen, film historian, archivist and former dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, has died. He is 84 years old.
UCLA said Rosen died Wednesday but did not specify the cause of death. Rosen, born in 1940, was appointed dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1999, a position he held for more than a decade.
Prior to that, he served as director of the UCLA Archives starting in 1975, growing the school’s original film and television library into one of the world’s leading collections. This appointment resulted from an invitation in 1974 to teach a 10-week course in the Department of Film and Television at UCLA.
“I never left. Learning about film and teaching filmmakers became my life’s goal, and over the next four decades I served as professor, then department chair, and finally dean of the college for 11 years.” explain.
“Bob was a transformative figure at UCLA, whose contributions to the field of film and television education and his leadership of the School of Theater, Film and Television left an indelible mark on our community,” Cal Brian Kate, chair of the UCLA Department of Theater, Film and Television, said in a statement. “Bob’s impact on the global film community was profound and his legacy will continue to shape the industry for years to come.”
In 2008, Rosen told The Associated Press that studying classic films can help young filmmakers find new ways to tell stories and discover their own perspectives. “When you look at movies from the past, you see many different ways that filmmakers have solved storytelling problems,” he points out. “You break the formula because you realize there are many ways to solve problems. Looking back gives you the courage to find your voice.
Rosen is also the founding director of the American Film Institute’s National Center for Film and Video Preservation. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Film Archives, a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress for more than twenty years, and a member of the boards of the Stanford Theater Foundation and the Geffen Theatre.
He served as a film critic for KCRW National Public Radio for 10 years and is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle. He helped found the Film Foundation and served as founding chair of the Film Foundation’s Council of Archivists.
In 2008, he was also awarded the Cinema Foundation John Huston Award from Martin Scorsese for his contributions to film preservation and restoration.
May Hong HaDuong, director of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, said: “As a figurehead in the film industry, Bob elevated the archival field by advocating for training and advocating for the preservation of all forms of moving image media, from classic Hollywood to independent productions. level,” said. “With advocacy, enthusiasm and an indomitable spirit, Bob played a key role in transforming the UCLA Film and Television Archive into the world-class institution it is today.”
