Former UCLA Theater, Film and TV Dean Was 84

Robert “Bob” Rosen, a pioneering movie historian, archivist and former dean of the UCLA College of Theater, Movie and Tv, has died. He was 84.

Rosen died Wednesday, UCLA mentioned with out specifying a explanation for loss of life. Born in 1940, Rosen was named Dean of the UCLA College of Theater, Movie and Tv in 1999, a place he held for barely greater than a decade.

Earlier than that, he served as director of archives at UCLA beginning in 1975, rising the varsity’s authentic movie and TV vault right into a world-leading assortment. That appointment grew out of an invite to show one 10-week course on the UCLA Division of Movie and Tv in 1974.

“I by no means left. Understanding movement footage and educating filmmakers was to change into my life’s aim, and over the course of the subsequent 4 many years, I served as professor, then division chair, and at last for 11 years as dean of the varsity,” Rosen mentioned throughout an off-the-cuff dialog on the 68th Worldwide Federation of Movie Archives Congress in Beijing in 2012.

“Bob was a transformative determine at UCLA, and his contributions to the sphere of movie and tv schooling, in addition to his management right here on the College of Theater, Movie and Tv, have left an indelible mark on our neighborhood,” UCLA College of Theater, Movie and Tv Dean Brian Kite mentioned in an announcement. “Bob’s influence on the worldwide movie neighborhood was profound, and his legacy will proceed to form the business for years to return.”

In 2008, Rosen instructed the Related Press that learning basic movies helped younger filmmakers discover new methods to inform tales and uncover their very own point-of-view. “While you take a look at movies from the previous, you see the numerous completely different ways in which filmmakers clear up storytelling issues,” he famous. “And also you break with formulation since you understand there are lots of methods to unravel an issue. By trying on the previous, you get the braveness to seek out your personal voice.”

Rosen additionally was the founding director of the Nationwide Heart for Movie and Video Preservation on the American Movie Institute. He served on the chief committee of the Worldwide Federation of Movie Archives, as a member of the Nationwide Movie Preservation Board of the Library of Congress for greater than twenty years and as a board member of each the Stanford Theatre Basis and the Geffen Playhouse.

He was the movie critic for KCRW Nationwide Public Radio for 10 years and a member of the Los Angeles Movie Critics Affiliation. He helped launch The Movie Basis and was the founding chair of The Movie Basis’s Archivists Council. 

He additionally acquired The Movie Basis’s John Huston Award from Martin Scorsese in 2008 for his contributions to movie preservation and restoration.

“A titan of the movie neighborhood, Bob elevated the sphere of archiving by championing coaching and advocating for the preservation of transferring picture media in all types, from basic Hollywood to unbiased productions,” Could Hong HaDuong, director of the UCLA Movie & Tv Archive, mentioned. “With advocacy, ardour and an indomitable spirit, Bob performed a pivotal function in remodeling the UCLA Movie & Tv Archive into the world-class establishment it’s as we speak.”