CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE LIST: FUNDRAISERS, FILM
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Cherie Hill, Communications Manager, chill@calhum.org
January 14, 2020
(San Francisco, CA) —California Humanities presents California on the Screen: ROMEO IS BLEEDING on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, 6:30 to 9 pm, at One Kearny Club in San Francisco. The evening includes a guest appearance from Donté Clark, the main subject of the film and an award-winning poet, actor, and emcee.
Guests will begin their evening at 6:30 pm in the beautiful One Kearny Club, atop the iconic One Kearny Building in San Francisco’s Union Square, featuring elegant modern design blended with historical features, and dramatic skyline views on an outdoor terrace. Attendees will enjoy complimentary light bites and a hosted bar of beer, wine, and soft drinks. The program includes a welcome from California Humanities President and CEO Julie Fry followed by a screening of the award-winning film ROMEO IS BLEEDING, directed by Jason Zeldes and funded in part by California Humanities’ California Documentary Project grant program. The film follows artist Donté Clark as he works with students to rewrite and stage an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in the streets of Richmond, California. Following the film, Clark will share remarks about the documentary and the role of the arts and humanities in community-building.
Guests may purchase tickets for $50, $25 of which is a tax-deductible donation to California Humanities. This special fundraising event will support California Humanities programs that connect people in California to ideas and one another in order to understand our shared heritage and diverse cultures, inspire civic participation, and shape our future. Get tickets here.
“California is known as a state with almost 40 million people and just as many stories,” said Fry. “We’ve supported hundreds of films that tell California stories through our California Documentary Project grants. ROMEO IS BLEEDING is a great example that celebrates the ingenuity of a California artist and the resilience of his community. We’re proud to be able to provide a platform for storytelling that highlights such ingenuity, generosity, and affirmation of our shared humanity, and invite film lovers to enjoy this special night with us in support of continuing our efforts to share more stories like Donté’s.”
ABOUT ROMEO IS BLEEDING
Donté Clark’s poetry captures the violence and heartbreak that haunt certain neighborhoods of Richmond, California. The turf war between North and Central Richmond has raged for decades, with each generation having their own folkloric stories of how the war began. Donté was born in the heart of North Richmond and found self-empowerment by writing about his experiences there. Now as a young man, Donté offers that same opportunity to Richmond’s youth through an arts organization called RAW Talent.
Directed by Jason Zeldes and produced by Michael Klein, ROMEO IS BLEEDING is structured around one year in the RAW Talent classroom, as Donté leads a cast of high school students in an effort to mount an urban adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. As Montague vs. Capulet transforms into North vs. Central, the students of RAW Talent delve deeper into the 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. Will Richmond crush Donté’s idealism, or will Donté find a solution to end Richmond’s cycle of trauma?
As the nation wrestles with proper policing methods and curbing the gun violence epidemic, ROMEO IS BLEEDING reminds us that a major piece of the puzzle is the arts and creating safe spaces for healthy expression in every community. romeoisbleedingfilm.com
ABOUT DONTÉ CLARK
Donté Clark is a poet, actor, and emcee out of Richmond, California. Consistently performing across schools, conferences, poetry readings and hip hop shows globally. He was accepted to the VONA program, a prestigious week-long conference for writers of color. More recently Donté can been seen shining on the big screen. His appearance in films like award winning Kicks and the web series The North Pole only provide a glimpse of Donté’s creative reach. The future is promising. Donté’s primary focus is ending the violence that has plagued his community and impacted him deeply, and he uses his art and curriculum as a call to action. In the last few years, Donté has hosted a town hall on violence in Richmond and taken the lead with planning and writing the majority of the script for Té’s Harmony, the play within Romeo is Bleeding. He also wrote and directed the play Po’Boys Kitchen. He continues to spark critical dialogue and encourages everyone to do the same.
VENUE & ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
One Kearny Club is conveniently located one block from the Montgomery Street BART station, at the intersection of Market, Kearny, and Geary Streets. Metered street parking and multiple San Francisco Muni transit lines are located within the surrounding blocks. An elevator is available to the floor where the event will take place, and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. For other access needs, please contact info@calhum.org well in advance of your visit. To learn more about the event space, call 788-1177 or email events@onekearnyclub.com.
One Kearny Club, 23 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94108.
CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE LIST: FUNDRAISERS, FILM
TITLE: California on the Screen: ROMEO IS BLEEDING
DATE & TIME: Wednesday, February 12, 2020, 6:30–9 pm
LOCATION: One Kearny Club, 23 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
PRICE: $50 ($25 tax deductible)
TICKETS: calhum.org/ca-on-the-screen-romeo-is-bleeding
ABOUT CALIFORNIA HUMANITIES
California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, promotes the humanities – focused on ideas, conversation and learning – as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect people to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more, visit calhum.org, or like and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
###
