Rivero and two other local filmmakers plan to begin shooting the film – entitled "U Street Blue" -- this summer, depicting life in the U Street-Cardozo neighborhood of Northwest Washington.

This will be the fourth film directed by Rivero, a native Washingtonian who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in film from Howard University. By making this film, Rivero hopes to broaden people’s perceptions of the nation’s capital.

"It’s important for me to show a side of D.C. that most people don’t usually see," he said. "You always see these movies that focus on the federal government. There’s so much more to this city."

Rivera said he chose U street for the setting of his film not only for its culture, but also because he sees it as an area undergoing major changes.

"It’s one of D.C.’s most diverse areas, but in 10 years it will be totally different because of gentrification. It’s turning into a hip neighborhood for young urban professionals, but it still has the vestiges of its roots," Rivero said.

Those roots include jazz legend Duke Ellington, a D.C. native who used to perform at the Lincoln and Howard theatres on U street. Ellington, whose likeness appears on a mural along U Street, plays an important role in the film.

"The main character talks to [the mural of] Duke. He has this constant dialogue with Duke and almost sees him as a real person to confide in," Rivero said.

Rivero’s script of "U Street Blue" won Howard University’s Paul Robeson Award for Best Short Screenplay in April.

Darrell Westbrook and Michael Hastings-Black are producing the film. Hastings-Black, who has spent the past two years in New York, recently returned home to Washington to work as a film production assistant. Westbook, a classmate of Rivero who is also pursuing a master of fine arts degree in film, said that the plot will serve as a vehicle for exposing the diversity of the U street community.

"U Street has all these different nationalities crammed together – it’s like a hodge-podge of different peoples," Westbrook said. "While looking for the owner of the ring, Billy travels up and down U Street going into shops and meeting all different kinds of people, and we will experience the people in the film."

The film’s production has already garnered strong neighborhood support, including a $3,000 grant from Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B and a pledge by 10 local restaurants to feed the crew during the shoot.

Phil Spaulding, secretary of ANC 1B, said he sees the film as an opportunity to expose his neighborhood as well as bring together members of the community. He said the filmmakers told him that they plan to put local kids to work as extras.

"If you were going to film anywhere in D.C., you’d want to do it on U Street," Spaulding said. "This was a cultural center for aspiring black artists. Before Harlem, there was U Street."

Spaulding noted that ANC 1B never helped finance a film before, but he called the filmmakers "good salesmen."

The filmmakers also were awarded a $2,325 grant by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

"We thought it sounded like a great project because, aside from having an interesting story, it will showcase a great neighborhood," said Jose Dominguez, the D.C. arts commission’s director for special projects and new initiatives.

The film is scheduled to be shot between Aug. 4 and Aug. 10. Rivero said he plans to finish editing the film in September and then intends to send it to some film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival. The filmmakers plan to screen the film for the U Street community in spring 2004.

Copyright 2003, The Common Denominator