Rosenthal's career with film began with writing and photography at a young age. Growing up in New York City, he began shooting and studying photography in high school, and started writing soon after. He earned a Masters in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College and subsequently began publishing poetry in such literary magazines as The Paris Review. David's first book of poetry was published in 2000. In the same year he became a member of The Actors Studio playwrights unit with Mark Rydell.[citation needed]
Rosenthal's love of writing and film soon led him to the American Film Institute, where he received another Master's degree. A year after graduating, his first short film, Absence was bought and distributed to networks around the world including Canal+, HBO Latin America, PBS, Encore, and Starz.[citation needed]
His documentary feature, entitled Dylan's Run, which he produced and directed, followed the campaign trail of Dylan Glenn, who made history by becoming the first black republican to run for a congressional seat in the Deep South since Reconstruction.[citation needed]
Recent work
Rosenthal on location in New York City (photo taken by Joe Gallacher)
In October 2009 Rosenthal finished principal photography on his film Janie Jones. The film is inspired by his experience of meeting his daughter for the first time when she was eleven and he was thirty. Starring Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola and Elisabeth Shue, the film follows the story of a down-on-his-luck indie rock star who
meets his 13-year-old daughter who he never knew when her mother (Elisabeth Shue) drops her off en route to rehab.[citation needed]
