Project Detail

Zoned In

Synopsis

It wasn't exactly a promising childhood. An impoverished father at fifteen, Daniel joined the family business, becoming a drug dealer despite watching his two brothers jailed for the same crime. But when his mother narrowly escapes a prison sentence, and moves the family from North Carolina to the South Bronx, Daniel is given a fresh start. At Taft High School, one of the most violent, notorious high schools in the nation, Daniel discovers that education can give him a future away from poverty and crime. Mature beyond his years, and increasingly articulate, he becomes a dedicated student, not only is he the first of his family to graduate high school, but he wins a scholarship to one of the most elite universities in the US.

Just as he thinks the world is his oyster, Daniel falters. A fish out of water he feels alienated not only by his white classmates, but even more so by his middle-class black ones. Filmed over nine years by director Daniela Zanzotto, and narrated by Daniel himself, this is a remarkable portrait of a self-believer determined to steer his own path in life.

Details

Year: 2009
Type of project: Features
Running time: 90 mins
Format: Mini DV
Director: Daniela Zanzotto
Producer: Colin Pons
Co-Producer: Colin Pons
Editor: Dominique Lutier
Director of Photography: Daniela Zanzotto
Sound: Daniela Zanzotto
Composer: Christopher Grande Jr

Genre

Black Drama

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Disruptive Element Films

daniela@disruptive.co.uk

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