The 411 Magazine The 411 Magazine issue 4 July/Aug 2017 | Page 15

Donté Clark's evocative and stirring street poetry
serving as a backdrop, Romeo is Bleeding captures the
community tensions, violence and heartbreak that
haunt neighborhoods like Richmond, California across
the country (and around the world).
As Donté leads a cast of high school students in an
effort to mount a fresh adaptation of "Romeo and
Juliet," the film uses the Bard's classic to delve deeper
into the contemporary socio-economic issues that drive
the violence in their city. As the play comes together on
the stage, real life begins to parallel the Shakespearean
tragedy. Pushed to his limits, Donté must decide if he is
capable of being the leader that Richmond's youth
wants and needs him to be. 
"When I met Donté, I knew this would be the story,
subject and mission behind my first film.  His personal
story and his ability to take a timeless tale and
transform it into a tool to teach and redeem a group of
kids was profoundly inspirational and necessary in a
time when communities are hurting, tensions are rising,
and hope seems fleeting," said Director Jason Zeldes.
"While we see conflict and division throughout the
country, communities grappling with gun violence and a
nation struggling with proper policing methods, Donté
reminds us that there's hope in the power of art and the
importance of creating safe spaces for healthy
expression in every community. He shows us that the
story doesn't have to end with tragedy," said Michael
Klein.
"Romeo is Bleeding is an important project for ALL DEF
as we have been quietly building a spoken word
platform, ALL DEF POETRY, that highlights spoken word
poets and artists every day" said Sharma. "We see a
renewed interest in the art form everywhere, as a
therapeutic tool in school counseling on the one hand
and as a driving force behind lyricism in hip hop from
Chance the Rapper to Kendrick Lamar on the other. 
The project extends our mission of being a voice to the
voiceless, helping elevate Donté's personal journey,
work and poetry, as well as RAW Talent and the RYSE
Center in Richmond which help youth every day turn to
the arts for solace."
In addition to its limited theatrical release, Romeo is
Bleeding will also be available via VOD as well as DVD
and BluRay on August 1st.