George A. Romero is one of my favorite filmmakers and a personal hero of mine, so while we lost the man in 2017, I’ve been glad to see the work the George A. Romero Foundation has done to preserve his legacy. That includes unearthing his long-lost 1973 film The Amusement Park, finding a home for his archive collection (featuring his 1994 short film Jacaranda Joe) at the University of Pittsburgh, and even setting up a podcast sequel to Night of the Living Dead. Now the Foundation has announced that they have located an unfinished short film that Romero shot in Pittsburgh in 1963, and they plan to complete it under the title Romero’s Elegy. They could use the help of Romero’s fans to do so, and are accepting donations at THIS LINK.
It doesn’t sound like this short film was horror, but it was shot by one of our greatest genre directors.
Here’s the information: At 23 years old, George A. Romero implored his uncle for a new Bolex camera. His uncle gave him $5,000 to purchase it. With his new friends, Russ Streiner and Richard Ricci, they shot a series of short films, all thought to have been lost. One of these films, now entitled Romero’s Elegy, was found and is being restored by The GARF. Romero’s Elegy is a 21 -minute film shot in Pittsburgh in 1963. Shot without sound or dialogue, the original intention was to add music and poetry to it. But it was never finished. In 2020, Ricci wrote the poem that has been added to the piece. Richard passed away 4 days after he submitted the piece, which he worked on for nine months. The restoration team then hired (Day of the Dead cast member) Terry Alexander to narrate the poem.
The GARF is currently working to license music so that the originally intended elements can be added to the film for more audiences to see. We want to raise $10,000 by March 31st. The first 25 people to donate $50 USD get a “Special Thanks” Credit. Any donations $2500 USD or higher receive an Executive Producer credit.
The donation page doesn’t show how much has been donated so far or how many people have contributed, so it’s not clear how close Romero’s Elegy is to meeting its goal or if the Special Thanks credit is still available.
I want to see as much of Romero’s work as possible, so I’m looking forward to watching Romero’s Elegy once it’s completed. Will you be donating to help the George A. Romero Foundation finish the short? Let us know by leaving a comment below.