| He's an
internationally renowned filmmaker, a writer, an archivist
and a professor of communications, film & video, at Adelphi
University in Garden City, New York.
But Gerald A. Tartaglia '72 is especially known in Berks
County for founding Berks Filmmakers, Inc., a non-profit organization
dedicated to the creation and exhibition of alternative film
and video. The organization is one of America's only surviving
venues for experimental cinema.
As an experimental filmmaker, Gerald's work mainly explores
gay identity and AIDS representations. His films have been
screened at museums and festivals around the world, and he
has restored the films of the legendary 60s film artist, Jack
Smith. He also founded Franklin Media Distribution, an organization
which brings experimental film to the public in a home video
format.
After Gerald earned his bachelor's degree, he went on to
earn a master's degree in English from San Francisco State
University. He has won numerous awards for his work including:
the Director's Choice at the 2000 Black Maria Film Festival
for the film Amnesia; the Special Jury Award at the
1996 Berlin International Film Festival in recognition of
his work in restoring and preserving the film legacy of Jack
Smith; and the Golden Gate Award at the 1992 San Francisco
Film Festival for the film 1969.
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