Film
Boyz n the Hood + Why Am I A Threat?
Dir. John Singleton
1991, 112min, DCP
With Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut
The granddaddy of 90s hood dramas charts the diverging fates of three friends—including rapper Ice Cube, making a big impression in his first film—coming of age in the urban warzone of South Central LA. John Singleton became the first black filmmaker ever nominated for a Best Director Oscar for his still-potent debut, a landmark look at the devastation of gang violence and the young men caught in its cycle.
Dir. Jahmani Perry
1993, 4min
Ice Cube issues a stinging spoken word rebuke of white America and the hypocrisy of those who deem him a “threat.”
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Four black women stick it to society in F. Gary Gray’s propulsive heist thriller.
A sensationally malevolent Wesley Snipes stars in Mario Van Peebles’ Harlem-set showdown.
A raw slice of Red Hook neorealism from 19-year-old filmmaker Matty Rich.