HFF 2015 Interview: Romeo is Bleeding Director Jason Zeldes

A fatal turf war between neighborhoods haunts the city of Richmond, California. Donté Clark transcends the violence in his hometown by writing poetry about his experiences. Using his voice to inspire those around him, he and the like-minded youth of the city mount an urban adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with the hope of starting a real dialogue about violence in the city. Will Richmond force Donté to compromise his idealistic ambitions? Or will Donté end Richmond’s cycle of trauma? Romeo is Bleeding is a 2015 Heartland Film Festival Award Winner, Documentary Feature.

We spoke with Director Jason Zeldes about his film:

HF: What is your film about, and how did the project come to be?

JZ: Romeo is Bleeding is about a young poet, educator, and activist, Donte Clark, and his efforts to change the narrative of Richmond, CA, which for generations has suffered from endemic gun violence. The film follows Donte and his arts organization, RAW Talent, over the course of the school year, as he adapts and stars in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Donte uses his adaptation as a tool for his students to dissect the social injustices they face in their city on a daily basis.

This project began because my cousin, Molly Raynor, is a teacher in Richmond and first introduced Donte to poetry. For years she would tell me about Donte, as he transformed from her prized pupil into the co-founder of their arts organization, RAW Talent. When she approached me with his latest project, the adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, I knew I had to get involved.

HF: What was your role in the production?

JZ: Director / Co-Editor / Production Sound Recordist

HF: Why did you submit to the Heartland Film Festival? Have you been to the Festival before?

JZ: I have not been to the Heartland Film Festival, but its reputation precedes it. Many of my filmmaker peers have been and rave about their experiences in Indy. Especially considering my Midwestern roots (Michigan…), applying to Heartland was a must.

HF: This year’s tagline is “Movies That Stay with You” – what lasting effect will your film have on moviegoers?

JZ: I hope that Romeo is Bleeding will reframe how audience members view our youth, especially our troubled youth. This is not a generation to be feared, rather their voices are vital in shaping our national conversation and need to be cultivated and harnessed for good. I hope the audience, especially the youth in the theatre, gets motivated to find their own voice, in whatever art form works best for them.

HF: What has inspired you to become a filmmaker?

JZ: Being a filmmaker is how I’m able to express myself as loudly and extravagantly, or as quietly and subtly as I could ever want. 24 frames are there for me when words fail, and I’ve never been a great musician – so I flock to filmmaking because I feel the need to express.

HF: What is something that you know about filmmaking now, but you weren’t told when you started your career?

JZ: Finishing a documentary film is damn near impossible. I thought I knew that because I’ve edited several feature docs, but stepping up to the director’s chair is something else entirely! In order to bring one of these things home, you need to set aside a lot more time than you think you need and surround yourself with a lot of patient, caring, and hard working people. I guess I learned that there is a real reason that film crews are so large, because nobody could do this alone while maintaining their sanity!

HF: What are some of your favorite movies? What’s your favorite worst movie (you know it’s bad, but still love it)?

JZ: Children of Men, Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Proposition, City of God, The Act of Killing, Red Army.

Favorite Bad Movie: Hamlet 2!

HF: How many film festivals has your film been a part of? What do you like the most about the festival experience?

JZ: I’ve been to a bunch! Romeo has taken us to at least ten stops by time we made it to Heartland, and I’ve been to even more through my editing career. I love exploring new cities while always having the common language of film to fall back on. You get to meet so many like-minded people from across the country, and it’s a real inspiration to keep working!

HF: Heartland Film Festival moviegoers love filmmaker Q&As. Let’s say a Festival attendee wants to earn some brownie points—what is a question that you’d love to answer, but haven’t yet been asked?

JZ: If anyone asked me this publicly, I’d probably stutter and stumble my way though it, but I’m fascinated by journalistic truth vs. the larger thematic truth in documentary filmmaking. Is it ok to reorder/reframe certain events while editing in order for the film as a whole to resonate on a higher level? Is that lying or filmmaking? Is there a difference? I love to geek out on that.