If an independent filmmaker from Baltimore has his way, his short film “Baltimore Street,” will become the next “Homicide.”
The screenplay for the short was written by Gregg Mason, owner of Flicker Motion Pictures, and Salvatore Zannino, who is acting in the film under his stage name Vincent DePaul. Directed by Mason, the two hope to turn the short into a television pilot they will then submit to studios such as HBO and Logo. DePaul believes the pilot will be picked up.
“It?s very likely, considering that “Homicide” was a product of Baltimore and is no longer on” television, DePaul said. “Cable networks need original programming and this is a genuine interpretation of what Baltimore is like.”
The short focuses on life on Baltimore streets and the problems of AIDS, other infectious diseases and addiction. It stars Donnie Gunther, Jay Bulger, Jeanine Casper and DePaul. Jaid Barrymore, the mother of Drew Barrymore plays the part of a health care worker from Johns Hopkins who seeks to help the “street kids.”
“The tagline is ?There is a lot of love to be had on the street,? ” Mason said. “It?s really dealing with people out in the night and what can happen and it also enlightens about AIDS, epidemiology and addiction. Baltimore has a lot to say in those areas.”
DePaul said that at this point the short is in the editing stage and that he and Mason plan to feature it in next season?s film festival circuit. After its film festival debut, the two plan to shop it around to cable networks.
“Being a native Baltimorean, I feel so confident that other audiences all over the United States will enjoy watching this because of its authenticity,” DePaul said. “A lot of the time we see formulaic episodic series generated out of Los Angeles, whereas this one is shot on location and has its roots in Baltimore.”
The majority of the filming takes place in the Canton and Patterson Park areas of Baltimore with other scenes shot around the city.
