Jules Rosskam

Born in Chicago and raised in Philadelphia, Rosskam received a BA in Painting and Writing from Bennington College in 2001 and a MFA in Film, Video, New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2008.

In 2005 Rosskam premiered his first feature film, transparent, which was released to critical acclaim and awards internationally and stateside. Frameline Distribution acquired the film in 2005, and it continues to be one of their most popular films. The film has screened in over 50 film festivals and had its broadcast premiere on PBS in June 2008.

While in New York, Rosskam joined the legendary non-profit media arts organization Dyke TV, which produces an award-winning cable access television show for the queer community with roots in the LGBT activism of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Rosskam rose through the ranks to Executive Producer, and became one of the key organizers of the show and organization.

In Summer 2007, Jules received a Fellowship from The Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, to support the development of his second feature documentary, against a trans narrative. The film was released in 2009 and has since been picked up by the Video Data Bank, and broadcast in Canada.

Thick Relations, Rosskam's third feature, was released in 2012. Existing as an organic blend of documentary and narrative film elements, Thick Relations is a snapshot of an urban, queer community. It is an ambiguous cinematic space where every day tasks, dinner conversations, and sexual themes all run parallel in an open and unresolved fashion.

Currently a visiting Assistant Professor of Video Production at Hampshire College, Rosskam is also a fine artist whose paintings, installations, and performances have shown in galleries and venues throughout the U.S.

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