Dances With Films 2018 - Meant to be Broken
Harvey has led a cautious and conscientious life until he gets fired and finds out he has one month to live. Throwing caution to the wind, he meets Luke at a bar and confesses he's never broken any rules. Luke responds "Do you want to?," and so the quest begins.
Interview with Director Jonathan Zuck
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We love telling stories and find ourselves often making dark comedies as a way to laugh our way through otherwise taboo topics.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
At it's heart, Meant to Broken is a buddy road trip film and a zany adventure down the East Coast of the US. You'll laugh, you'll cry...you get the idea.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Meant to be Broken is a very personal film about how we spend our time and what's precious to us. With irreverent humor we deal with death and racism and other universal topics.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The original script was written by Joe Leone, modified by me to accommodate how we were going to shoot, and further modified by Jenna St. John to punch up the third act.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been terrific. We had a focus group and made some modifications of the edit based on the feedback, but overall folks called it a fun adventure film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
As is always the case with dark comedy, you have some who disagree with choices you have made or feel that you haven't done enough to develop a character and so on. We always try to take that into account and are always ready to have our assumptions challenged.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We'd love for more people to see the movie, explore some the themes involved, and engage with us further. We're a 501c(3) non-profit, so for us, getting conversations going, discovering new way to produce art and engaging more people are our primary goals.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
At this point we're looking for exposure which in turn might lead to more screenings (this film needs to be seen on the big screen!) and eventual distribution.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Primarily we hope people simply enjoy the film. Beyond that, they might be reminded that you cannot judge a book by its cover.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Depending on the audience there are potentially two questions. For the indie film community, we engaged in an experiment in film production that hasn't been done before and might hold some answers for collaboration between independent filmmakers to accomplish something that is normally associated with a larger budget.
For everyday viewers, it's about what's most important in your life and what you're willing to do to really live your life and support those closest to you.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Kevin and Jenna are working on a supernatural high school film. Jonathan is developing a holiday film called The Christmas Detective.
Interview: June 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Meant to be Broken
When Harvey, a white-collared, “everyman” Lawyer, is told he is dying from an inoperable brain tumor, he wishes to abandon his mundane life, lash out and break laws. Harvey encounters Luke, a bad boy who likes to live life on the edge, who takes him on a road trip to multiple states, where they break every single silly law each state has. On the road, Harvey rediscovers himself, puts to rest some of his demons, and realizes that there are some rules that are just meant to be broken.
Length: 90min
Director: Jonathan Zuck
Producer: Chad Horn, Jonathan Zuck
Writer: Joe Leone, Jenna St. John, Jonathan Zuck
About the writer, director and producer:
JONATHAN ZUCK (Director, Producer) is a multi-award winning filmmaker. Jonathan has directed more than 20 short films, many of which have gotten significant festival play and awards. One short, Palindrome was an official selection at Cannes and the most recent, Lover's Leap, has received numerous accolades around the country. Meant to be Broken is Jonathan's second feature film. The first, Within the Darkness, was shot on location in western Maryland and was picked up for distribution by Indican Pictures.
CHAD HORN (Producer) had coverage of his last narrative project picked up by Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, and countless other publications and earned millions of views both online and in person at comic book conventions across the country through the GeekFest Film Festival (where it won a gold medal for best fan film). When he isn’t creating narrative projects, he’s creating award-winning content for clients including Discovery Communications, USA Today, Huffington Post, and many others.
Key cast: Dave Coyne, Nick Depinto, Nadia Mohebban, Hunter Christie
Looking for: sales agents, buyers, distributors, sales, film festival directors, journalists
Twitter: @mtbb_movie
Instagram: @mtbb_movie
Funders: DC Dogs, Kickstarter
Made in association with: 48 Hour Film Project
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Film festivals and Dances with Films,