A documentary project tracing the career of Gene Sullivan, who worked for USAID and its precursors from the mid-50s until his death in 1972 in Ethiopia. His granddaughter & filmmaker Lisa Romagnoli investigates the legacy of his work overseas, as well as the legacy of the recently dissolved agency USAID.
In the mid-50s, when Gene began being sent on missions overseas, his wife Hope - home with five children - did not appreciate being left alone, and threatened to leave him if he did not arrange for the whole family to join him overseas during his assignments. This led to the Sullivan family being the first American dependent family to live in Korea after the Korean War, and kicked off a 20-year international family adventure.
The film will be told through the first person journey of the filmmaker as she seeks FOIAs requests for her grandfather’s files, and talks to experts and academics about the impacts of US involvement through the mid-20th century in the various countries where Gene was deployed. The film will also integrate family interviews filmed in 2005 with Hope and the now-adult children 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.
Post-WWII, the United States moved away from its isolationist policies and became an international leader. In addition to military interventions, the government also began a slate of programs to support international economic development, both to encourage and enhance trade relationships as well as buffer against the growing concern of communism. The United States expanded its diplomatic presence overseas, sending thousands of government officials to countries around the globe. USAID was one of those programs, helping pair foreign countries with American companies for training and trade, supplying financial assistance to jumpstart industry, as well as provide technical advisory assistance.
While this aid unquestionably helped advance the economies of nations, such as South Korea and Taiwan, it also ensured economic ties and preferential links for the United States in an unstable period.
As the role of USAID pivots or disappears today, what is the legacy of Gene's work? And how should the generations of Sullivan's frame the legacy of their family?
