John Rosman

Filmmaker John Rosman recently debuted his first full-length feature film, “New Life,” at The Birmingham 8, Powered by Emagine movie theater in downtown Birmingham. The independent cat-and-mouse horror-thriller film – with a major unexpected twist – was released in early May and has received critical acclaim and buzz at many film festivals and through online reviews. The film earned the Audience Choice Award for Horror films at the 2023 Heartland Film Festival.

Rosman grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Seaholm High School in 2005. He has fond memories of going to The Birmingham 8 to watch movies with his family and friends during his younger years, so it seemed natural to debut his first film in his hometown.

“It’s where I watched so many films for the first time, such as ‘Star Wars.' It is where I saw ‘Outbreak’ with my mom at way too young of an age, and this film later inspired my film,” he explained.

“It was really special to be there with so many people from my community and to have the level of support from my family, friends and from surprising places, like their friends and families,” he said.

Rosman said, “I really enjoyed my childhood in Birmingham. The metro Detroit Jewish community is very tightknit and like an extended family.”

He said he particularly appreciates “the cool DIY creative arts scene which started with music,” that he and his older brother and friends were able to build during their high school years “in basements and backyards” which fueled his future creativity.

“It was unique to be a part of this scene that was fertile ground to develop a creative idea and take it forward. I’ve applied so many of these lessons to my career,” he added.

After high school, Rosman moved west to attend the University of Oregon in Eugene to major in journalism. “I went to school for journalism but fell in love with documentary filmmaking, specifically editing,” he said.

Since college, his career has included working for NPR-affiliate Oregon Public Broadcasting and a variety of freelance video work. He was able to gain valuable experience on short form documentaries, music videos and creative storytelling which helped him with the directing and writing of his film, “New Life.”

“Making a feature film was always the end goal,” he noted.

The filmmaker now lives in Los Angeles but returned to picturesque Oregon to shoot his recent thriller. Distributed by Brainstorm Media, “New Life” is playing in select theaters and can be streamed on multiple digital platforms.

With the launch of his first feature film, Rosman said he enjoys his life in L.A. while continuing to work in the commercial video world and focusing on his next film project.

Rosman offered up this advice for aspiring filmmakers: “Just start making something. Everyone has a video camera on their phone – so start making films. The best thing you can do is to connect with one person you know who will help you and grow from there. Filmmaking is a team sport. With every project you should try to include more people and grow your crew.”

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: TJ Michael