The Dryden will screen Boyz N the Hood (John Singleton, U.S. 1991, 112 min., 35mm) as part of the In Memoriam: John Singleton series.

John Singleton (1968—2019) was born and raised in Los Angeles, where he attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Just a year after he graduated, his debut film was released to wide acclaim. Singleton wrote the script based on episodes in his own life and those of people he knew, and he insisted that he direct it. The film follows Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Ricky (Morris Chestnut), and Doughboy (Ice Cube), childhood friends growing up as young men in South Central La. While Tre and Ricky have collegiate aspirations, Doughboy has joined a gang and has recently been released from prison. Over the summer, their lives will change forever. Though his film career was relatively short, Singleton was incredibly influential not only in American popular culture in general, but specifically to a new generation of upcoming African American filmmakers. He was the first African American to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, and to this date is the youngest nominee for that award as well as for Best Original Screenplay.

[source: George Eastman Museum website, 2019-Nov-4]