Directed by Daniela Zanzotto
2008, 90 minutes
Zoned In will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival April 23–May 4, 2008 in New York City.
About the Film
You’re starting your teen years—two older brothers in prison, a father at fifteen, close to being a high school drop-out and then an incredible journey starts. Over the course of nine years, director Daniela Zanzotto accompanies a young Black man, Daniel Nartey, on a path that takes him from an urban South Bronx public school to a serene Rhode Island Ivy League school and back again as he discovers himself and his life’s purpose. It is a compelling tale of survival, ambition, achievement, disillusionment, and ultimately, a tempered sense of success and fulfillment. “The Bronx inspired me, and I felt the need to inspire it.”
A stark portrait of disenfranchisement as well as a personal journey of discovery, Zoned In offers the absolute gift of Daniel himself, a rare mix of charismatic and entirely natural storytelling given to thoughtful self-questioning and reassessment of his identity and priorities. His voiceover talks us through the trials and tribulations of his education and personal life accompanied by a music track by turns subdued and propulsive. The dynamic moving camera captures the drive, the trepidation, the nervous energy of not only Daniel, but also the South Bronx that defined and transformed him as a high school student.
About the Filmmaker
Daniela Zanzotto specializes in documentary filmmaking. She grew up in Rome, Paris, Mexico City, and London and is of French and Italian parents. She is now based in London. In 1996, Daniela completed her master’s degree in French history and literature at the University of Rochester. She then spent two years at CUNY in the comparative literature PhD program, but after taking a short course in filmmaking, she set off for Paris to make her first documentary, If the Walls Could Speak, about public housing in Paris that was used as an internment camp for French Jews. Daniela’s second film was Kissed by Angels, and her Battaglia documentary was commissioned by four European and Canadian broadcasters.
Filmmaker’s Statement
Filming for Zoned In started in 1998. The original intention was to make a documentary about the challenges of public education in what was then the most notorious and chaotic high school in the South Bronx. In this harsh environment, the young people I met still carried a hope that they would fulfill their dreams, but Daniel stood out. I was captivated by this personality, maturity, and his desire to succeed all the while knowing he was fighting against incredible odds. Meeting and watching someone who was putting all his might into resisting what society had reserved for him was inspiring and grabbed my interest as a filmmaker. It provided an opportunity to go far beyond the locality of a single school or issue. I started to film without yet knowing where the story would take me or how I would deal with it, but convinced that if I committed to it, something valuable would come of it.
Click here to read an interview with Daniela Zanzotto, Director of Zoned In.
