K. Rocco Shields
With her long and enviable resume in film and TV—first as a sought-after editor and script supervisor, now as a director and entrepreneur—it’s shocking to learn that K. Rocco Shields is barely out of her twenties. The wildly accomplished filmmaker is best known for her unique short film, Love is All You Need?, which imagines a world where homosexuality is the norm and tells the story of Ashley, a girl with a crush on a boy at school. Ashley becomes the constant target of heterophobic abuse until she is driven to a tragic end. Shields intended the film to shed light on teen suicide and bullying, and it has appeared in more than 20 film festivals. It is quickly being adapted for educational use and will be launched into schools across the country. “I wanted to make films that could make a difference, like Love Is All You Need?—I truly believe that cinema can promote social change, because film has the power to reach the masses and really open the eyes of people who never get to see the multiple sides of today’s most pressing issues,” Shields explains. She’s now developing the short film into a feature-length movie for her production company, Wingspan Pictures, with a top casting agency on board.
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