Élie de Rosen Live Radio

When one wishes to study history, one becomes an archaeologist. And that is what I did prior to becoming a filmmaker. I took a particular interest in the Byzantine Empire, because it existed at the crossroads of two worlds (rather like me: I was born and raised in a French family but grew up in the U.S.). The highlight of my archaeological studies was doing a PhD on Byzantine Greece, during which I redefined our understanding of the history of Medieval Greece.      Four years ago, I reached a crossroads. I wasn’t getting the exposure to history that I’d hoped for in my archaeology career. Then, my brother suggested I share my historical knowledge by means of YouTube videos.   The only problem was,   I   lacked a technical background. From there, it was but a short step to seeking formal training, which led me to do a filmmaking MA at the University of East London.         

Halfway-through my MA, things took an unexpected turn. It was the Christmas holidays; I had some free time on my hands. I used it to write a fiction story. I realised right then I had potential as a writer. But I needed too long to deal with the formatting requirements of conventional writing. So I thought to myself: perhaps I could be a screenwriter. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since. My interests as a writer revolve primarily around fantasy, adventure, and children's stories. At the moment, I have got three film projects in development (two shorts, and one feature-). I am also trying to form my own production company.