# Special Slamdance Coverage: Mark Elijah Rosenberg Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/special-slamdance-coverage-mark-elijah-rosenberg Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/special-slamdance-coverage-mark-elijah-rosenberg.md Podcast: [First Time Go](https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248) Published: 2026-03-13T16:30:23+00:00 Episode link: https://redcircle.com/shows/9ddc691d-2273-47d5-a1b9-5a4acb0670f5/episodes/d5eafa10-642a-4dac-8e9d-6af58ea5876d Audio file: https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/d5eafa10-642a-4dac-8e9d-6af58ea5876d/stream.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-time-go-6464248/episodes/special-slamdance-coverage-mark-elijah-rosenberg Duration seconds: 3020 ## Resource If there's something that Mark Elijah Rosenberg hasn't done in film, I don't know what it is. Started Rooftop Films, which presents art and films around New York. Made a studio feature. Made deeply personal short films like ____ IN PARIS (2026) , which he premiered at Slamdance this year. Made interactive art. Taught film. With a background like that, I knew the insight he would bring is incredible, and he doesn't disappoint here. The best part is you can tell Mark has thought about all these bigger issues in filmmaking, too, and I'm so thrilled he's here to share his perspective. Mark and I discuss: why Slamdance for the premiere of ___ IN PARIS (2026) ; how he got started in filmmaking and if he knew when he started Rooftop Films if he wanted to work on his own projects; what Rooftop Films has taught him about the theatrical experience; the process of creating his first studio feature, APPROACHING THE UNKNOWN (2016), and how it wound up so different than his vision; how the experience of making the film might be different today; what advice he gives his students and labs today from all of his studio and independent filmmaking experiences; why big, heavy philosophical topics are important to him; what should people expect to watch ___ IN PARIS and why does he make so many personal stories; how the next generation of filmmakers will approach these deeper questions; what his next projects are. Mark's Indie Film Highlights: AMERICAN GIGOLO (1980) dir. by Paul Schrade r; Ja'Tovia Gary Memorable Quotes: "The people at Slamdance care about their filmmakers and the filmmaker experience and supporting them as much as any festival I've ever seen in the world." "We don't screen in theaters, we screen in neighborhoods." "With some slight variation for special screenings and regi… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-time-go-6464248/episodes/special-slamdance-coverage-mark-elijah-rosenberg/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/special-slamdance-coverage-mark-elijah-rosenberg.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.