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Robert Tutak
Professor
Film
Location: 219 West End Building
Phone: 718.951.5000 x2610
Fax: 718.951.4733
Email:
Tutak is a graduate of the Lodz Film School of Poland and recipient of the Fulbright Foundation Grant in Film. His film credits include feature films: ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA, 2017; THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS, 2016; DUBAI: A CITY OF DREAMS, 2010, NOBODY'S PERFECT, 2002; MECZ, 1988, as well as a number of shorts fiction and docs. His work is a distributed by Amazon Prime (US, UK), Infobase Publishing & 7th Art Releasing, U.S., Upside Television, France, FeelSales, Spain, Docubay, India, Films For Change, Australia, PTV, Poland; it is available in two hundred academic libraries in the U.S.; has been broadcasted on television in Belgium, France, Germany, Iran, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, and the U.S. and screened in over 20 countries, including at the NYC's Museum of Modern Art, UCLA Film & Television Archives, CA, Pacific Film Archive, CA, Le Fresnoy des Arts Conteporains, France, Cinemateca Romana, Romania, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and many others.
Education:
Certificate, Robert McKee's Story Structure Seminar - 1994 (Story Structure, Screenwriting)
M.F.A., Doctoral degree equivalent, Lodz Film School of Poland - 1991 (Directing for Film and Television)
Non-degree, San Francisco Art Institute - 1989 (Film, graduate)
Non-degree, Stanford University - 1989 (Intensive English Program and Academic Orientation for Foreign Graduate Students)
M.A., Interdepartmental School of Contemporary Culture, University of Wroclaw, Poland - 1977 (Culture Sciences / Cultural Anthropology)
Areas of Expertise:
Writing, directing, producing, editing.
Creative Work
Distribution: ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA is now in the collection of two hundred sixteen academic libraries in the U.S. (distributed by Infobase Publishing). (Exhibition or Performance) 2021
Best Immigrant Film Award, Socially Relevant Film Festival New York, ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA, March 22. (Awards and Honors) 2018
Panelist, the Socially Relevant Film Festival, March 2019, School of Visual Arts, MFA Social Documentary campus. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2019
Jury Member, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2021
DUBAI: A CITY OF DREAMS has been acquired for distribution by Films For Change, Australia. (Exhibition or Performance) 2021
Distribution: ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA. Distribution deal with Infobase Publishing based in New York. Part of the Films on Demand collection (VOD) through Films Media Group, an Infobase Learning Company. (Exhibition or Performance) 2020
CUNY TV Interview on two docs: DUBAI: A CIY OF DREAMS and ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA> (Exhibition or Performance) 2019
CUNY TV screening, excerpts from ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA. (Exhibition or Performance) 2019
Distribution: ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA available for streaming on DOCUBAY, a premium subscription-based streaming platform for documentaries in India. (Exhibition or Performance) 2019
Festival Screening, Socially Relevant Film Festival New York, Official Selection, Premiere, Cinema Village, Manhattan, ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA, March 19. (Exhibition or Performance) 2018
Krakow Film Festival Market, Poland, May 26 - June 2. ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTR RACE IN AMERICA. (Exhibition or Performance) 2018
Screening: BROOKLYNESE, a film series pertaining to the borough, sponsored by Brooklyn College and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA, February 26. (Exhibition or Performance) 2018
Broadcast on CUNY TV, July 8 & 9, THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS (Exhibition or Performance) 2017
Screening and Q&A: DUBAI: A CITY OF DREAMS, Zachęta, The National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland, January 15, 2017 (Exhibition or Performance) 2017
Writer, director, producer. ELLIS ISLAND: THE MAKING OF A MASTER RACE IN AMERICA, feature documentary on the influence of eugenics and nativism on the U.S. immigration policy at the turn of the 20th century and beyond. 2017
Executive Producer. THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS, feature film on the confluence and conflict of the Hindu and Muslim cultures in rural Bangladesh; shot on location in Bangladesh; (directed by Saud Jubaer). 2016
Broadcast on cable television TVI, Portugal, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2014
Broadcast on Spiegel TV Wissen, Germany, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2014
Broadcast on cable television IRIB Iran, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2013
Broadcast on cable television RTL TVI Belgium, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2013
Broadcast on PLANETE, Canal + television, Poland, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2012
Broadcast on cable television RSI LA 2 Radiotelevisione swizzera, Switzerland, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2012
Festival screening, the 7th Annual United Nations Association Film Festival Traveling Festival, Carroll University, Waukesha, Wis.; United Nations Association Waukesha Chapter, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2012
Broadcast on Polish Public Television, Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999.Mecz (Match). (Exhibition or Performance) 2011
Festival screening at Kumu Doumentaal, Eesti Kunstimuuseum (Art Museum of Estonia), Tallinn, Estonia, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2011
Festival screening at the 14th United Nations Association Film Festival, Stanford University, East Palo Alto, Calif.,Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2011
Festival screening at the Fifth Annual New Orleans Middle East Film Festival, New Orleans, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2011
Museum exhibition, Tadeusz Kosciuszko and the American Revolution trailer, in the permanent collection of the Kosciuszko House Museum in Kosava, Belarus (donation of the United States Embassy, Minsk, Belarus). (Exhibition or Performance) 2011
Broadcast on cable television, GRITtv with Laura Flanders (Free Speech TV, Dish Network, DIRECTV).Dubai: A City of Dreams trailer. (Exhibition or Performance) 2010
DUBAI: A CITY OF DREAMS, feature documentary on labor exploitation and human rights abuses in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Writer, director, producer. Log line: Dubai is a city of dreams. Some dreams come true. Some don't. 64 mins; full version, 52 mins., Distribution: 7th Art Releasing, United States (North America); Upside Television, Paris (worldwide). 2010
Festival Screening, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China. Theme: Documentaries Tell the Best Stories -- International Docs Journey into Campus: (1) South Sun Yat-sen University; (2) South China University of Technology; (3) Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2010
Festival Screening, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China; Sapphire Arts Space & Galaxy Cinema, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2010
Film Market Exhibition, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Docs for Sale, Dubai: A City of Dreams. (Exhibition or Performance) 2010
Exhibition: Cultural Center, Cluj, Romania, Twarz (The Face). (Exhibition or Performance) 2008
Exhibition: la Cinemateca Romană, Bucharest, Romania, Twarz (The Face). (Exhibition or Performance) 2008
Festival Screening, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, November, Twarz (The Face). (Exhibition or Performance) 2004
Gallery Screening, Cinetheque du Fresnoy (Studio national des arts contemporains), France, Films Courts, l'Ecole de Lodz, organized in collaboration with MoMA NYC, Twarz (The Face). (Exhibition or Performance) 2004
Exhibition: Anthology Film Archives, Nobody's Perfect. (Exhibition or Performance) 2003
Film Market Exhibition, Marche du Film, Cannes Film Festival, France, Nobody's Perfect. (Exhibition or Performance) 2003
Broadcast on Triangle Television, New Zealand, Homework. (Exhibition or Performance) 2002
Festival Screening, Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Nobody's Perfect. (Exhibition or Performance) 2002
NOBODY'S PERFECT, independent feature film, starring Leonardo Nam (The Perfect Score, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), 96 mins. Writer, director, and producer. Distribution: TLA Releasing. 2002
Exhibition: Cleveland Cinematheque, Retrospective of the Lodz Film School of Poland, Thirst and The Face. (Exhibition or Performance) 2001
Exhibition: Pacific Film Archives, Berkeley, Calif, Retrospective of the Lodz Film School of Poland, Thirst and The Face. (Exhibition or Performance) 2001
Exhibition: Santa Fe Cinematheque, Retrospective of the Lodz Film School of Poland, Thirst and The Face. (Exhibition or Performance) 2001
Exhibition: MoMA, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Retrospective of the Lodz Film School of Poland,Thirst and The Face. (Exhibition or Performance) 1999
Exhibition: UCLA Film and Television Archives, Retrospective of the Lodz Film School of Poland, The Face. (Exhibition or Performance) 1999
Broadcast on Channel 1 TVP (public television), Warsaw, Poland, The Subway and Pacifists. (Exhibition or Performance) 1992
Broadcast on Channel 1 TVP (public television), Warsaw, Poland, 1983, 1985, 1989, Pragnienie. (Exhibition or Performance) 1992
Broadcast on Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York, The Subway, prod. PTVN-NYC. (Exhibition or Performance) 1992
THE SUBWAY, documentary short, producer; production: PTVN-NYC; distribution: Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York; Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland. 1992
AN ACTOR, documentary short, producer; production: PTVN-NYC; Distribution: Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York; Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland. 1991
Broadcast on Channel 1 TVP (public television), Warsaw, Poland, Actor and Posters. (Exhibition or Performance) 1991
Broadcast on Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York, Pacifists, Actor, Posters and Tomek. (Exhibition or Performance) 1991
PACIFISTS, documentary short, producer; production: PTVN-NYC; Distribution: Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York; Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland. 1991
POSTERS, documentary short, producer; production: PTVN-NYC; Distribution: Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York; Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland. 1991
Broadcast on Channel 1 TVP (public television), Warsaw, Poland, TOMEK and GREENPOINT STORY. (Exhibition or Performance) 1990
Broadcast on Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York, TOMEK and GREENPOINT STORY. (Exhibition or Performance) 1990
GREENPOINT STORY, documentary short, producer; production: PTVN-NYC; Distribution: Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York; Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland. 1990
TOMEK, documentary short, producer; production: PTVN-NYC; Distribution: Channel 31 WNYC-TV, New York; Channel 1 TVP, Warsaw, Poland. 1990
Festival Screening, Cleveland International Film Festival, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Festival Screening, European Film Festival, Poland and Stuttgart, Germany, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Festival Screening, Festival of Polish Feature Films, Gdansk, Poland, MATCH. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Festival Screening, Film Arts Foundation Film Festival, San Francisco, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Festival Screening, San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Festival Screening, The Young Polish Cinema, Gdansk, Poland, THIRST and MATCH. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Polish Institute of Paris, France, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1989
Festival Screening, Internationale Kurzfilmtage, Oberhausen, Germany. Following the festival, a yearlong tour of Germany as part of the "Polish Retrospective," THIRST and THE FACE. (Exhibition or Performance) 1988
MECZ / MATCH, made-for-TV movie of the week, 16mm, 80 mins, writer-director; production: Poltel, Poland; distribution: PTV 1, Polish public television, Warsaw, Poland. 1988
Broadcast on Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (German public television network), Mainz, Germany, THE FACE. (Exhibition or Performance) 1986
Festival Screening, Koszalin Meetings, International Festival of Young Cinema, Koszalin, Poland, THIRST and THE FACE. (Exhibition or Performance) 1986
Polnische Kurzfilme - Tour of Germany. Films were shown in art houses and on campuses in Berlin, Hanover, Frankfurt, Cologne, Bremen, Osnabruck, Freiburg and Bielefeld. Organized by junges forum Reclinghausen, West Germany, THIRST and THE FACE/em>. (Exhibition or Performance) 1986
CISZA / SILENCE, documentary short, 35mm; writer-director. Production and distribution: Educational Film Production House (WFO), Lódz, Poland. 1985
Festival Screening, Third International Festival of Non-Commercial Art, Wroclaw, Poland, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1985
Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinematographiques, Paris, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1985
SWIETO / THE HOLIDAY, live-action short, 35mm; writer-director; Production and distribution: Lodz Film School of Poland (PWSFTviT). 1985
Broadcast on Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (German public television network), Mainz, Germany, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1984
Festival Screening, International Film Festival, Munich, THIRST and THE FACE. (Exhibition or Performance) 1984
Festival Screening, International Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland, THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1983
Festival Screening, International Film Students Meeting, Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia, organized by Centre International de Liaisons des Ecoles du Cinema et Television (International Center of Liasons of Cinema and Television Schools), THIRST. (Exhibition or Performance) 1983
TWARZ / THE FACE, documentary short, 35mm; writer-director. Production and distribution: Lodz Film School of Poland (PWSFTviT). 1983
PRAGNIENIE / THIRST, live-action short, 35mm; writer-director. Production and distribution: Lodz Film School of Poland (PWSFTviT). 1982
PANI MARYSIA / MS. MARY, documentary short, 16mm, writer-director. 1981
RODZINA / A FAMILY, documentary short, 35mm; writer-director. Production: Lodz Film School of Poland (PWSFTviT). 1981
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
The Leonard and Claire Tow Faculty Travel Fellowship (Grants and Fellowships) 2002
President's Resource Grant (Grants and Fellowships) 1995
PSC-CUNY Research Award (Grants and Fellowships) 1992
Fulbright Grant in Film (Grants and Fellowships) 1988
Best Short Film, Third International Festival of Non-Commercial Art, Wroclaw, Poland, THIRST. (Awards and Honors) 1985
International Film Festival, Munich, Germany, individual award and program award, THIRST (Awards and Honors) 1983
International Film Festival, Warsaw, Poland, audience award, THIRST (Awards and Honors) 1983
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
Manhattan Film Academy-Dubai, June, Screenwriting & Directing Workshop. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2017
Manhattan Film Academy-Dubai, August, Screenwriting Workshop. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2016
The 3rd GCC Film Festival, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, October 18, 2016, lecture on screenwriting & directing (invited by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture & Knowledge Development). (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2016
International Film Studio, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. April. Lecture on Screenwriting. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2015
Middle East College, Muscat, Oman. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2015
Dubai Studio City, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Manhattan Film Academy - Dubai, Intensive Film Production Workshop, February - May. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
Jeddah Film Festival, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saud Arabia; workshop on screenwriting & directing. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
Emirates College of Information Technology and Management (ECMIT), January, Intensive Film Production Workshop. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2006
Dubai Knowledge Village, Manhattan Film Academy - Dubai, July, Intensive Film Production Workshop. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2005
Emirates College of Information Technology and Management (ECMIT), January, Intensive Film Production Workshop. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2005
The American Historical Association Annual Meeting & the Polish-American Historical Association Annual Meeting; Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Washington, DC; presentation of the work-in-progress documentary on Tadeusz Kosciusko and the American Revolution. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2004
The Lodz Film School of Poland, guest speaker (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 1994
Film/Video Arts, Inc., New York, guest speaker, THIRST. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 1991
Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco, guest speaker, THIRST. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 1990
Professional Leadership
Member, Master Planning Committee, 2019-2020 & 2020-2021 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2021
Jury Member, SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2020
Member, Academic Assessment Council (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2020
Member, Academic Planning Steering Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2020
Peer Review Committee Member, The New School, New York (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2018
Jury Member, International Film Festival Krasnogorski, Moscow, April 2-7. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2015
Chair, Search Committee, Department of Film (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2010
Chair, Faculty P&T Subcommittee, Division of the Arts (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2007
Member, Appointments Committee, Department of Film (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2007
Chair, Faculty P&T Subcommittee, Division of the Arts (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2006
Member of the Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence Planning Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2005
Member, Faculty P&T Subcommittee, Division of the Arts (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2005