Kim Rocco Shields is the director of the controversial, and eye-opening, short film "Love Is All You Need?" which reverses the roles of homosexual and heterosexual couples, where "heteros" are bullied and ridiculed for being the way they are. Rocco is in the process of developing the short into a feature film through her new production company Genius Pictures.
What inspired you to make the short film "Love Is All You Need?"
It all started when I was watching the news one night. There was a tragic bullying story and the news anchor was saying 'I don’t understand how an 11 year old kid can take their lives...how they can be driven to that point.' So I just had the idea to reverse roles and show an issue from a new perspective.
Have you encountered any negative reactions or controversy surrounding the film and if so how do you respond?
I've gotten a lot of praise and encouragement from people with open minds, but I do get a few letters from those who aren’t happy. But if it spurs conversation then I've done my job. Actually, a teacher named Jeremy reached out to me and said he was about to be fired for showing the film to students. Parents were saying it’s "preaching a lifestyle," and there was going to be a big meeting where people came out to get this guy fired. Someone had to come to his defense so I went out there to Palatka, Florida and as soon as I arrived they immediately cancelled the meeting. I spoke there on how the film can open the mind. After my departure the school board came down very hard on those who support Jeremy and the film. The principle is on suspension without pay for showing support. This board is run by the churches in Palatka, which give funding to ensure they stay in power. There's absolutely no separation between church and state there. Jeremy is an openly out individual and they were looking to get him out of the school. I want to get this out in the open and ensure this doesn't happen again. I'm working very hard to raise awareness.
The actors in the short are all very young and the film deals with mature themes. How did you prepare the young actors and actresses in the what they'd be portraying?
When we first cast we made sure to put out a disclaimer so that parents would know what the kids would be doing. But it was still important to orient the kids on what they’d be doing so we did an old fashioned table read (Laughs). The kids and parents were very responsive. However, I actually used a body double for the end sequence. The actress [portraying Ashley] had already been through enough so we brought in another kid. I just tried making it as fun as possible. There's ways to distract the kids from the tragic themes by trying to make it fun for them.
How is progress on developing the feature film going?
We actually made the short so that we could make the feature. We had to prove it can be a successful film and right now we're looking for investors to make it reality and we have a lot of support in Hollywood.
How different is developing a feature compared to a short? Has it proven to be a challenge?
Oh, yes. It’s a tough sell. It’s never been done before and Hollywood buys into what’s been done before. There's always so many cooks in the kitchen that control how a movie’s made, so I’m finding people who want to invest because they believe in it as much as I do.
Can you tell me about the feature's content a little? What the story is like and such?
We have many stories about bullying and this shows how one thing can ripple into something tragic. For the feature we still have the story of Ashley, it's just expanded. But we have older people, too. College students, a male and female hetero couple, and we wanted to show how these people are torn apart by stigmas. We also have people who aren’t hetero sticking up for their rights and they’re taken advantage of for sticking up for what they believe in. The central protagonist is captain of the football team and she comes out.
The role reversal isn’t meant to be sci fi but if men and women are put on equal playing field then we strip away categories and stereotypes. So we have a little fun with that.
Do you think there needs to be more films or television programs that bring awareness to these issues?
I do. They have the ability to engage audiences in another life. We can showcase issues of society and give a different perspective.
Are there other social issues you feel strongly about and would like to bring to the screen?
I'm dedicating my career to making products that make a difference. You see things done many times and I want to bring projects to life that are new and eye-opening. My "Walk a Mile" web series allows viewers to step inside someone else's shoes for one minute, to live the life of someone else.
A project I'm extremely exited about is "Exposure." It's about a marine who returns from Iraq as an amputee, and she falls for a photographer who asks her to pose nude for a wounded warriors series. I'm casting a real amputee, she's a great actress. I want to show that anyone can star in a film no matter their walk of life. I don’t need to cast a big Hollywood actresses.
There's also a project about medical marijuana, so you can see I dive into a lot of different issues (Laughs).
Do you have any other projects lined up besides what you've already mentioned?
I'm really excited for a project called "Deep Web." I can’t talk much about it, but it’s about how the internet affects society today. It's a TV series, kind of like "Breaking Bad" but with a female protagonist.
What compelled you to form Genius Pictures?
Well, my former company WingSpan Pictures was very successful and we made thousands of videos. But I'd say Genius is the next evolution and we have a strong client base. Genius is a retooling. It brings to light a more focused direction for content that makes a difference.
Visit Rocco's website icanstopbullying.com to learn more about "Love Is All You Need?" and to support the cause.
