Heart of Stone (documentary film)
Encyclopedia
Heart of Stone is a 2009 documentary film about Weequahic High School
in Newark, New Jersey
, the United States
, directed by Beth Toni Kruvant, with Zach Braff
serving as executive producer. The film relates the struggles of Principal Ron Stone and the rest of the school's administration, plus students and alumni to return the school, working with African American
and Jewish alumni, to its previous glory in the years before the 1967 Newark riots
.
. By 2000, the school had disintegrated into a breeding ground for gang violence. The New York Times
described the film as having the potential to be an ordinary story of a hard-nosed principal facing down gang members, but the film actually tells the inspiring portrait of a bold principal who works with gang leaders and Jewish and African American alumni to give his students a hopeful future. Heart of Stone focuses on the crisis in education in Newark as an example for the entire nation, showing how an alumni group raised $400,000 with one of its co-founders being Hal Braff, the attorney father of actor Zach Braff
.
The film's title comes from the school principal's last name, but also the director's belief that a heart of stone was needed to face the difficult challenge of earning the respect of the school's students, many of whom are gang members. Stone's strategy was not to confront the gang bangers but to make use of their "natural leadership abilities" and to use their skills to help improve themselves and their school and to help end the pattern of violence in the school building.
where it won the Audience Award, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary at Cinequest Film Festival
, and received the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award
for telling a story of thriving in the face of adversity. The film won the Best Feature Film at the Philadelphia Film Festival
and the Best Documentary Film at the New Jersey Film Festival
and Urban Suburban Film Festival. Heart of Stone had its theatrical premiere at The Roxie
in San Francisco on October 30, 2009.
, also directed the documentary Born in Buenos Aires about the Argentine Jewish community during the political and fiscal crisis of 2001
. The Right to Be Wrong chronicles an Israeli and Palestinian friendship.
Weequahic High School
Weequahic High School is a public high school in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey. The school is operated by the Newark Public Schools and is located at 279 Chancellor Avenue....
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, directed by Beth Toni Kruvant, with Zach Braff
Zach Braff
Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
serving as executive producer. The film relates the struggles of Principal Ron Stone and the rest of the school's administration, plus students and alumni to return the school, working with African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and Jewish alumni, to its previous glory in the years before the 1967 Newark riots
1967 Newark riots
The 1967 Newark riots were a major civil disturbance that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey between July 12 and July 17, 1967. The six days of rioting, looting, and destruction left 26 dead and hundreds injured.-Social unrest:...
.
The film
The film documents Weequahic High School which graduated some of the top students in the country after opening in 1932 and was "known as one of the top schools in America before 1960", with graduates such as novelist Philip RothPhilip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
. By 2000, the school had disintegrated into a breeding ground for gang violence. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described the film as having the potential to be an ordinary story of a hard-nosed principal facing down gang members, but the film actually tells the inspiring portrait of a bold principal who works with gang leaders and Jewish and African American alumni to give his students a hopeful future. Heart of Stone focuses on the crisis in education in Newark as an example for the entire nation, showing how an alumni group raised $400,000 with one of its co-founders being Hal Braff, the attorney father of actor Zach Braff
Zach Braff
Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
.
The film's title comes from the school principal's last name, but also the director's belief that a heart of stone was needed to face the difficult challenge of earning the respect of the school's students, many of whom are gang members. Stone's strategy was not to confront the gang bangers but to make use of their "natural leadership abilities" and to use their skills to help improve themselves and their school and to help end the pattern of violence in the school building.
Critical responses
The film premiered at the Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
where it won the Audience Award, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary at Cinequest Film Festival
Cinequest Film Festival
The Cinequest Film Festival is an annual independent film festival held in San Jose, California. The festival highlights the work of new film makers....
, and received the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
for telling a story of thriving in the face of adversity. The film won the Best Feature Film at the Philadelphia Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
The Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
and the Best Documentary Film at the New Jersey Film Festival
New Jersey Film Festival
The New Jersey Film Festival is New Jersey's largest continuing public film series devoted to "experimental, offbeat and influential cinema". It is held in New Brunswick, New Jersey.-History:...
and Urban Suburban Film Festival. Heart of Stone had its theatrical premiere at The Roxie
The Roxie
The Roxie Theater is a movie theater at 3117 16th Street in the Mission District of San Francisco built in 1909. It is also known as the Roxie Cinema or just The Roxie.-History:...
in San Francisco on October 30, 2009.
Director
Kruvant, a native of Montclair, New JerseyMontclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, also directed the documentary Born in Buenos Aires about the Argentine Jewish community during the political and fiscal crisis of 2001
Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)
The Argentine economic crisis was a financial situation, tied to poilitical unrest, that affected Argentina's economy during the late 1990s and early 2000s...
. The Right to Be Wrong chronicles an Israeli and Palestinian friendship.