Synopsis
In 1957, Hope Sullivan moved her five young children to South Korea, where they became the first American dependent family living there after the Korean War.
Her husband, Gene, was working for the precursor to USAID, and his career led to the Sullivan family living overseas for the next 15 years, across 5 countries — his work impacting the state of nations for the next half century. In 1972, after Gene died of malaria in Ethiopia, the family learned that he had also been working for the CIA. This film will investigate the legacy of that career.
The film will be told through the first-person journey of the filmmaker Lisa Romagnoli as she seeks a FOIA request for her grandfather’s files and talks to experts and academics about the impacts of US involvement in the mid-20th century in the various countries where Gene was deployed.
It will also integrate family interviews with Hope and the now-adult children filmed in 2005
about their experiences living overseas as diplomatic dependents, as well as incorporate family 8mm footage from the 50s and 60s, and archival news reels to help contextualize the time period.
Director: Lisa Romagnoli
Lisa Romagnoli is a filmmaker based in New York City. Over her career she has directed award-winning editorial video content for publications such as Vanity Fair, WIRED, Vogue, Architectural Digest, and The New Yorker. She has also directed multiple short films that have played at festivals around the world.
