Filmmaker, director, writer, actor—Fred Zara lives in Orlando, but stopped by Scribbler's Corner at River of Grass while he was in Jacksonville for the Southeast Regional Film Festival, where his latest film, The Suicide of James Rider, was being screened.

Fred grew up in New Jersey, where, at 15, he got kicked out of the 9th grade for fighting with a teacher. He played drums in a Trenton-based punk band under the name of Fred Fatal – a wild ride he documented twenty years later in his award-winning documentary, Average Community. 

So how does a 15-year-old high school dropout with anger issues go from riding around with friends to meet their crack dealer in New Jersey to an award-winning filmmaker in Florida?

Learn more about Fred and his work at https://fredzara.wordpress.com/

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