Robert von Dassanowsky

FRHistS The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(born January 28, 1965) is an

Austrian-American Austrian Americans (, ) are Americans of Austrian descent, chiefly German-speaking Catholics and Jews. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 735,128 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent, accounting for 0.3% of the population. The ...

academic, writer, film and cultural historian, and producer. He is usually known as Robert Dassanowsky.

Education, career and publications

Dassanowsky was born in New York City. A student of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and a graduate of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

(MA, PhD), where he also served as Visiting Professor of German, Dassanowsky is a widely published academician, independent film producer, playwright, and has written for television. He holds dual American and Austrian citizenship. Dassanowsky was named CU Distinguished Professor of Film Studies and Languages & Cultures by the University of Colorado System in November 2020. He has been professor of German and Visual and Performing Arts, and founding director of

film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. ...

at the

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2017, UCCS had over 12,400 undergraduate a ...

since 1993, and has become particularly known for his influential scholarly work on Austrian author

Alexander Lernet-Holenia Alexander Lernet-Holenia (21 October 1897, in Vienna — 3 July 1976) was an Austrian poet, novelist, dramaturgist and writer of screenplays and historical studies who produced a heterogeneous literary opus that included poetry, psychological ...

, German filmmaker and photographer

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

, and on Austrian and Central European film. He has served as Adjunct Professor of Media Communication at

Webster University Vienna Webster Vienna Private University is a private American university in Vienna, Austria. While affiliated to the Webster University in St. Louis, USA, it remains a distinct and separate institution. History Webster University was founded in St. L ...

and is an Affiliate Faculty of the Global Center for Advanced Studies (GCAS) New York since 2017 and member of the Board of Directors of the GCAS Research Institute

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since 2019. Dassanowsky was founding president of the Colorado chapter of

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and was a founding Vice President of the Austrian American Film Association (AAFA). Additionally, he is the Contributing Editor of the ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America'', a Contributing Advisor to the ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers'', contributor to ''The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Popular Cultures'', and is author of ''Austrian Cinema: A History'' (2005), the first English language survey of this national cinema. Among his other publications is a collection of essays on ''New Austrian Film'' edited with Oliver C. Speck (2011), edited collections on

Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (; 1 February 1874 – 15 July 1929) was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. Early life Hofmannsthal was born in Landstraße, Vienna, the son of an upper-cl ...

's play ''Der Schwierige'' (Iudicium 2011),

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

's ''

Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger and Mélanie Laurent. The film tells an altern ...

: Manipulations of Metafilm'' ( Continuum 2012), and on ''World Film Locations:

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

'' (Intellect 2012). His study, ''Screening Transcendence: Film Under

Austrofascism The Fatherland Front ( de-AT, Vaterländische Front, ''VF'') was the right-wing conservative, nationalist and corporatist ruling political organisation of the Federal State of Austria. It claimed to be a nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack ...

and the Hollywood Hope 1933–1938'', was published by Indiana University Press in May 2018. He is currently (2021-2022) editing ''Interwar

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

as Austria's Other 'Kulturstadt' 1919-1938''. Dassanowsky also serves or has served on several editorial and advisory boards of literary publications in the U.S.,

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Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

including ''Osiris'', ''Rampike'', ''

Poetry Salzburg Review ''Poetry Salzburg Review'' is an English language, biannual literary magazine published by Poetry Salzburg at the University of Salzburg and edited by Wolfgang Görtschacher. It is a successor to '' The Poet's Voice'', which was edited and publis ...

'', '' Journal of Austrian Studies'', ''

Colloquia Germanica Colloquium may refer to: *An academic seminar usually led by a different lecturer and on a different topic at each meeting or similarly to a tutorial led by students as is the case in Norway. *A form of testing and assessing students' knowledge in ...

'', '' Studia Germanica Posnaniensia'' of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and the ''

Journal of Austrian-American History The ' is a biannual, open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by Pennsylvania State University Press, and sponsored by the Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies. It publishes new research, review essays, and other materi ...

''. In addition to publication in scholarly journals he is also a contributor to '' Senses of Cinema'', '' Bright Lights Film Journal'' and '' The Vienna Review''. His ''Telegrams from the Metropole: Selected Poems 1980–1998'' received a Pushcart Prize nomination in 2000. His poetry book ''Soft Mayhem'' was published in 2010 ( Poetry Salzburg). The English translation of Austrian playwright Felix Mitterer's treatment of the life of Nazi resister ''Jägerstätter'' by Gregor Thuswaldner and Dassanowsky ( University of New Orleans Press 2015) received its American staged dramatic reading premiere under the direction of Guy Ben-Aharon at the

Austrian Cultural Forum New York The Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY) is one of Austria's two cultural representation offices in the United States; the other is in Washington, D.C. It is part of the worldwide network of Austrian Cultural Forums overseen by the Austri ...

in December 2016. He has authored over ninety articles and essays in book collections, journals, and periodicals.

Producer and media appearances

The son of Austrian-American pioneering film studio founder and musician, Elfi von Dassanowsky, he is also active as an independent producer and head of the Colorado/Vienna based Belvedere Film production company. His Belvedere Film projects include the documentary on aesthete Felix Pfeifle ''Felix Austria!'' a.k.a. ''The Archduke and Herbert Hinkel'' (2013) directed by Christine Beebe (in which he also appears), the dramatic shorts ''Menschen'' (2012) and ''The Retreat'' (2010), the feature film ''Wilson Chance'' (2005), and the award-winning ''Semmelweis'' (2001). ''Felix Austria!'' premiered at the 2013 Hot Docs Festival. As an independent, he served as associate producer of ''Dog Eat Dog'' (2012) a comedy short with

Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series '' Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in the film ''Star Trek'' (2009) ...

directed by

Sian Heder Sian Heder (; born June 23, 1977) is an American television writer, television producer, and filmmaker who is best known for writing and directing the films '' Tallulah'' and ''CODA''. ''CODA'' earned Heder an Academy Award for Best Adapted Scree ...

, of Curt Hahn's dramatic feature ''Deadline'' with

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...

(2012), of Mark Devendorf and Mauricio Chernovetzky's ''Styria'' a.k.a. ''Angels of Darkness'' based on Sheridan Le Fanu's gothic novel '' Carmilla'' starring Stephen Rea and

Eleanor Tomlinson Eleanor May Tomlinson (born 19 May 1992) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared in films including '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'' (2008), ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' (2013), ''Colette'' (2018) and ''Love Wedding Repeat'' (20 ...

(2014), and of the feature biopic ''The Creep Behind the Camera'' directed by Pete Schuermann (2014). He was a producer of Brad Osborne and Eric Vale's independent mystery thriller feature, '' Chariot'' (2014), and produced

Ally Acker Ally Acker (born August 17, 1954, New York) is an American filmmaker, poet, author, and film historian. Her book, ''Reel Women: Pioneers of the Cinema'', was the first on the market to reveal the entrepreneurial, and transformative roles that wom ...

's interview documentary on women in cinema history, ''Reel Herstory: The Real Story of Reel Women with

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...

'' (2014). He was associate producer on the award-winning Canadian feature, ''Before Anything You Say'' (2016) directed by

Shelagh Carter Shelagh Jane Carter (best known as Shelagh Carter, and occasionally referred to as Shelagh Carter-Loewen) is a Canadian director, producer, screenwriter, actress and retired theatre and film professor at the University of Winnipeg, known initia ...

with cinematography by Ousama Rawi; producer on Matthias Greuling's Austrian documentary regarding author

Thomas Bernhard Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard (; 9 February 1931 – 12 February 1989) was an Austrian novelist, playwright and poet who explored death, social injustice, and human misery in controversial literature that was deeply pessimistic about modern civilizat ...

, ''Der Bauer zu Nathal'' with

Sunnyi Melles Sunnyi Melles (born 7 October 1958 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg) is a Hungarian / Swiss actress active in Germany and Austria. Biography She is the only daughter of Austrian orchestral conductor Carl Melles and Hungarian noblewoman Judith von R ...

and Nicholas Ofczarek (2018), and associate producer and historical adviser on the biographical documentary feature ''

Paul Henreid Paul Henreid (November 10, 1908 – March 29, 1992) was an Austrian-British- American actor, director, producer, and writer. He is best remembered for two film roles; Victor Laszlo in '' Casablanca'' and Jerry Durrance in ''Now, Voyager'', ...

: Beyond Victor Laszlo'' directed by the Austro-Hollywood actor's daughter, Monika Henreid. The latter project remains in progress. Following, he has co-produced the feature documentary on the German-Austrian-American performer, poet, filmmaker, artist and member of the Beat Generation, Ruth Weiss, directed by Thomas Antonic: ''One More Step West is the Sea: Ruth Weiss'' (2021).

Affiliations, awards and foundation work

Dassanowsky is a member of Mensa (U.S.A.) and the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (SMOCG) ( it, Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio, es, Sagrada Orden Militar Constantiniana de San Jorge), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order ...

(Spanish branch). He was named the Carnegie Foundation/ CASE U.S. Professor of the Year for

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

in 2004, and decorated by the Austrian president in 2005 with the ''Decoration of Honour in Silver'' for Services to the Republic of Austria. Dassanowsky received the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Outstanding Teacher Award in 2001, the Chancellor's Award in 2006, and the Faculty Award for Excellence in Research in 2013. He was elected Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

in 2007 and of the Royal Society of Arts in 2010. A member of the

European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 37 Nobel Prize laur ...

since 2001, he was appointed to serve as one of the three U.S. delegates to the Academy in 2009. In 2012 Dassanowsky was appointed member of the European Society

Coudenhove-Kalergi The Coudenhove-Kalergi family is a Bohemian noble family of mixed Flemish and Cretan Greek descent, which was formed after Count Franz Karl von Coudenhove (1825–1893) married Marie Kalergi (1840–1877). The Coudenhoves were counts of the ...

, which furthers the work and image of the founder of the Paneuropean Movement and he joined the board of advisors for the Salzburg Institute of Religion, Culture and the Arts in 2014 and the Board of the American Friends of the Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance (DÖW) in 2016. He is a member of the Academy of Austrian Film and a voting member of the

European Film Academy The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. The Academy—under the name of European Cinema Soc ...

. Dassanowsky was elected vice president of the

Austrian Studies Association The Austrian Studies Association or ASA (formerly the Modern Austrian Literature and Culture Association or MALCA, with its journal ''Modern Austrian Literature'') continues traditions started in 1961 (originally the International Arthur Schnitzler ...

or ASA in 2010, which he and then organization president David Luft (

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...

) transitioned from the Modern Austrian Literature and Culture Association in 2010-12. He served as ASA president from 2012–2014. Th
Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies
(BIAAS) awarded Dassanowsky a research grant for 2014–15, and he presented the Seventh Annual Botstiber Lecture on Austrian-American Affairs at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC on 29 May 2015. He is the recipient of the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

's 2015 Thomas Jefferson Award and was named an Ethics Fellow by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative (DFEI) Collegiate Program for 2020-2021. Since 2008, Dassanowsky has been the director of the Elfi von Dassanowsky Foundation, established in memory of his mother.Austrian Information on EvD Foundation
/ref> In addition to various other grants, the Foundation annually sponsors the juried Elfi von Dassanowsky Prize (1,000 Euros) for a work by a female filmmaker, which was first presented to Norwegian artist Inger Lise Hansen for ''Parallax'' (2009) at the

Vienna Independent Shorts Vienna Shorts (formerly known as VIS Vienna Independent Shorts) is an international short subject, short film festival held annually in May in Vienna. It is the largest short film festival in Austria. History Vienna Independent Shorts was hel ...

Film Festival in June 2010.

References

External links

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs website

Robert Dassanowsky
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Poetry Salzburg biography

International Alexander Lernet-Holenia Society

Austrian Studies Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dassanowsky, Robert Von 1960 births

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

Living people American book editors 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Film producers from California American film historians American male poets American people of Austrian descent Writers from Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria Mensans American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American male writers Historians from California