Imagine a world where straight is gay and gay is straight.
Director K. Rocco Shields’s anti-bullying movie “Love is All You Need” is essentially a forbidden love story which aims to start a dialogue about the nature of hate and prejudice and “ultimately what makes us most human, love.”
The idea for the film formed in 2010, when bullying was all over the news and people weren’t able to understand why 11 year olds were taking their lives. Shields realized that she needed to show people what it felt like to be in a situation when no one understands you.
She released a short film which was leaked and resulted in over 50 million downloads around the world. It was also self-translated in to 15 different languages.
The feedback from the movie was immense with everyone from kids to people in their mid 70’s telling her that the movie changed the way they think. On the other side, she received threats from hate groups and conservatives who thought her film was anti-religious to accusing her of having a “militant sodomite agenda.”
The feedback inspired her and with a dream to continue to help others, she decided to shoot a feature film.
“So I knew that a feature film could create so much more power especially if I was able to speak to multiple lenses,” Shields told Diverge.
After raising funds and acquiring the star-studded cast including Briana Evigan from the Step Up Series, Tyler Blackburn from Free Form’s Pretty Little Liars, Emily Osment from Young & Hungry on Free Form, Jeremy Sisto from ABC’s Suburgatory, SAG award winning actress Elisabeth Röhm from American Hustle, Katherine LaNasa who will be starring in the upcoming Bravo series Imposters, Ana Ortiz ALMA best actress award winner for Ugly Betty, and Kyla Kenedy first seen in AMC’s The Walking Dead and now playing Minnie Driver’s daughter on ABC’S new hit comedy Speechless.
Shields completed the feature movie, which was circling the festival circuits but then the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando happened. It was at the same time as she was in North Carolina using the film to protest the HB2 Bill.
“And I thought I need to do something and this film, I know can do something,” Shields explained. “I realized I had this amazing online audience and I had multiple distribution offers but none of them had any vision except just to put in theater.”
She added that theaters wanted her to wait till next year to release because of the tense political climate and current events.
Shields chose to self-distribute the film with a new indie platform Distribber and donate what would have been the distribution fees to her nonprofit partners. Once the film reaches one million paid downloads, the fund will be activated and money disbursed to the nonprofit recipients. Additionally, the film will pay in perpetuity a percentage of its revenues to various anti-hate and equality measures with non-profit partners.
The movie, which can be downloaded on iTunes or preordered on DVD, was recently shown in a self-funded 20-city MovieMent tour, in tribute to true events depicted in the film, with all proceeds going to the non-profits: including The Matthew Shepard Foundation, Tyler Clementi Foundation, Equality House, Planting Peace, Columbia City Ballet, Center on Halsted, and others across the country.
“I am one person that happens to be a filmmaker and I have done something with my craft to create change and now it’s out there for people to use,” ShieIds stated. “ I want people to know it’s out there and to use it but ultimately inspire others to do the same thing.”
“Imagine if every single person did something, we would have a whole different society,” she concluded. “If every minority could see this film and see themselves in it, we will create change with it.”
Hear Shields journey in her own words here.
