Our Story

A powerful story of healing, poetry, and resilience in the face of tragedy, Dead Deer High was written, produced, directed, and edited by teachers.

Dead Deer High was created by the husband and wife team, Joshua Dean Roark and Jo Rochelle, in collaboration with the Lucky Fools production company. Joshua and Jo met as middle school teachers in Teach for America and have been making films for and about young people ever since.

It was after the tragedy of Parkland that Joshua, a poet himself, wrote Dead Deer High—a feature film about an English teacher and his slam poetry team. He wanted to create a safe space for teachers and students especially to process the traumatizing reality of American school life.

In the summer of 2024, the community of Bremerton, WA welcomed the film's production with open arms. Jo Rochelle directed and Joshua produced with an incredible cast and crew that brought the story to life.

The film is full of wonderful talent telling their stories within the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. If you're a fan of Dead Poets Society, and the award winning film Short Term 12, this film is exactly for you. Join our newsletter to get all the exclusive updates on our special film.

Behind the scenes of Dead Deer High

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