Jay Rosenblatt, who has been making short films since the early 1980s, makes films that deal with a variety of themes — from birth and childhood to religious faith, tyranny and death. Frequently screened on public television and film festivals, Rosenblatt ’s films are consistently recognized for their unique style and his commitment to taking risks.

Jay Rosenblatt, who has been making short films since the early 1980s, makes films that deal with a variety of themes — from birth and childhood to religious faith, tyranny and death. Frequently screened on public television and film festivals, Rosenblatt ’s films are consistently recognized for their unique style and his commitment to taking risks.

“An exquisite artist who makes beautifully crafted miniatures.”
— Atom Egoyan

"A transcendent channel-surfing passion play... Rosenblatt turns celluloïd water into wine."
— Time Out, New York

"Rosenblatt has the humanity of a Lubitsch... combined with the analytical sensibility of a Bergman. His films are not merely good. Rosenblatt is seriously gifted, a significant artist."
— San Francisco Chronicle

"I had been making traditional narrative films using actors and found it stressful. (...) I happened to be working on a project -- it was a film sequence for a theatre piece -- that required some archival footage. The need to use existing footage led me to the optical printer, which is a machine that allows a filmmaker to manipulate existing footage in different, new ways. This was a real discovery for me and I began moving more and more toward the use of found footage to create my films.

(...) I wasn't trying to mask the found-footage aspect, to deliver a throughline but with the pieces in a kind of juxtaposition.
(excerpts from the SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER-OCTOBER 29-30, 2005 & the MIAMI NEW TIMES - July 26, 2001)

Contents:
- Afraid So (2003) 3 minutes
A film about fear and anxiety.
Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival

- Phantom Limb (2005) 28 minutes
A poetic documentary about grief and loss.
Distinguished Documentary Award Nomination - International Documentary Association
Winner of 13 awards

- I Just Wanted To Be Somebody (2006) 10 minutes
Part document, part poem about Anita Bryant and her anti-gay campaign.
Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival

- The Darkness of Day (2009) 26 minutes
A found footage collage about suicide.
Best Documentary - Tampere Film Festival, Finland
Winner of 9 awards

- Prayer (2002) 3 minutes
Faith and fear. Duck and cover. One response to 9/11.
Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival

- The D Train (2011) 5 minutes
An old man reflects on his entire life. How quickly it all goes by.
Official Selection, SXSW

Extra Films
- Nine Lives: The Eternal Moment of Now
- Worm
- Way To Your Heart