In 1995, Singleton continued to explore race relations and identity in the collegiate drama Higher Learning, which reunited him with Ice Cube and Fishburne. “Poetic Justice,” 1993 Columbia/Shutterstock In the film, Shakur’s character leads everyone on a road trip from Los Angeles to Oakland as they interact with one another, attempt to build relationships and deal with their own baggage. In this dramatic road-trip movie, the world is seen through the eyes of the titular Justice, a poet played by Jackson. In 1993, he followed up Boyz N the Hood with Poetic Justice, starring Janet Jackson, Shakur, King and Joe Torry. His production company New Deal Entertainment became a training ground for young black executives and was an obligatory stop for black music stars including Ice Cube and the late great Tupac Shakur, who were only beginning to find their way with older white executives. While at Columbia in the 1990s, Singleton added youth, hipness, and cultural awareness to a rich mix of talent deals that were skewed toward more established names such as Penny Marshall, Danny DeVito and Harold Ramis. Click here to watch Singleton’s full testimony, including his interaction with Todd. Christopher Dodd, who would go on to lead the MPAA from 2011-17. Coincidentally, the chairman of that panel - the Senate Labor & Human Resources Subcommittee on Children, Family Drugs & Alcoholism - was Sen. Library of Congress saw it as a culturally significant piece of art and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2002.Īs an example of the film’s national influence, Singleton was invited in July 1992 to testify before a Senate subcommittee at a hearing titled “Children at War: Violence and America’s Youth.” He and other witnesses spoke about the possible causes of rising homicide rates among America’s youth, including violence in media, substance abuse and the availability of weapons. Boyz N the Hood cemented its legacy in Hollywood when the U.S. At the time, Singleton was 24 and was not only the youngest person ever to receive a Best Director nom but also the first black person nominated, paving the way for the likes of Lee Daniels, Barry Jenkins and Jordan Peele after him. “Boyz N the Hood,” 1991 Columbia/Shutterstockīoyz N the Hood was a commercial and critical success and Singleton earned Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. He was a black filmmaker putting a lens on the black experience with compassion, empathy and a degree of rawness that has never been done before. It put a spotlight on what many would refer to as “urban” filmmaking when in reality it was just Singleton telling stories that he knew and thought deserved to be told. John Singleton’s Career In Movies & TV – Photo Gallery Written and directed by Singleton, Boyz n the Hood followed three men as they navigated their lives through the obstacles of race, violence, cultural identity and relationships in L.A.’s Crenshaw neighborhood. The movie also starred such A-listers as Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne as well as Morris Chestnut, Regina King and Nia Long. and Ice Cube on the map as prolific cinematic actors. The film essentially put Cuba Gooding Jr. The Boyz N the Hood script was spotted by a studio reader, Jeff Stockwell, who went on to become a screenwriter in his own right. Also at Columbia, Singleton was heavily backed by studio chief Frank Price, a political conservative who responded strongly to Singleton’s talent and family-oriented social messaging. This would start an extraordinary run at Columbia Pictures, where he won a green light for three films in five years - a feat rarely matched by contemporary directors - all by the age of 26. It wasn’t long after graduating from USC in 1990 that he released his first feature film, Boyz N the Hood. At first, he was toying with the idea of pursuing computer science, but then he enrolled in USC’s Film Writing Program - and this was the spark that started a career that would cement him as one of the most influential filmmakers of our time. on January 6, 1968, Singleton attended Blair High School and went on to Pasadena City College and then to USC School of Cinematic Arts. Singleton testifies before a Senate subcommittee on Capitol Hill in 1992 John Duricka/Shutterstockīorn in L.A. He shined a light on black narratives in the ’90s, adding his pioneering voice to the need for inclusive voices in the industry. He was a benchmark in filmmaking and his voice spoke to an audience with black storytelling that had never been seen or heard. John Singleton Remembered: Hollywood Reacts To Director's Death At 51Ī two-time Oscar nominee for writing and directing his debut film Boyz N the Hood(1991), Singleton was a trailblazer in black cinema.
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