This February, Enzian celebrates the life and legacy of John Singleton with 35mm screenings of two of his iconic films, Poetic Justice and Boyz n the Hood.
Boyz n the Hood:
35mm Screening! 35th Anniversary!
Released in same year that Rodney King was savagely beaten by LAPD officers, Boyz n the Hood announced the arrival of a vital new voice in American cinema. Written and directed by John Singleton (just 23 years old at the time of filming), the film draws directly from his own upbringing in South Central Los Angeles, capturing a community shaped by systemic racism, economic neglect, and cycles of violence with a level of empathy and urgency rarely seen on screen. In doing so, Singleton amplified a new generation of Black filmmakers, functioning as a bridge between the L.A. Rebellion directors of the 1970s, such as Charles Burnett and Julie Dash, and more mainstream contemporaries like Spike Lee and Robert Townsend.
The film follows Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a young man sent to live with his disciplined, principled father Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne), as he comes of age alongside friends Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube). Through everyday moments and sudden tragedy, the film explores masculinity, fatherhood, friendship, and the narrowing paths available to Black youth in early-1990s America. An exceptional supporting cast, including a trio of powerful female characters portrayed by Nia Long and Academy Award® winners Angela Bassett and Regina King, add layers to the films emotional depth and gravity.
Boyz n the Hood earned Singleton Academy Award® nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film also received recognition from Cannes, the National Board of Review, the NAACP Image Awards, and the MTV Movie Awards, and was added to the National Film Registry in 2002. 35 years after it hit theaters, Singleton’s directorial debut remains one of the most immediate and essential works of the 1990s “New Black Cinema” movement.
Enzian Presents: John Singleton
This February, Enzian celebrates the life and legacy of John Singleton. Born in Los Angeles in January 1968, Singleton graduated from USC and soon transformed a traumatic episode from his youth into the groundbreaking Boyz n the Hood (1991). The film instantly marked him as a major new voice, and at just 24 he became both the youngest person and the first African American ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, along with a nomination for Best Original Screenplay—a milestone that broadened Hollywood’s sense of whose stories should be told.
He followed his debut with Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), and Rosewood (1997), blending rich social commentary throughout a broad range of racial, social, and historical narratives. In the 2000s, Singleton moved fluidly into studio filmmaking with hits like Shaft (2000) and 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and produced standout projects such as the Academy Award® winning film Hustle & Flow (2005).
Singleton’s legacy rests on his commitment to portraying Black life with emotional depth and celebrating underrepresented voices. He opened doors, influenced a generation of filmmakers, and left an indelible mark on modern American cinema.
1991, 112 minutes, USA, Directed by John Singleton, Rated R
“Boyz n the Hood is a knockdown assault on the senses, a joltingly sad story told with power, dignity and humor. No mere studio genre piece preening as social significance because its characters are black, Boyz is straight from the neighborhood.”
– Duane Byrge, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Singleton captured the plight of the young black American male and the women who love them. His introspective lens took us into the deep crevices that no one would dare visit. A place we’d yet to see as a culture in black film, and probably, never will. A history maker.”
– Dominga Martin, BLACKFILM
“By exploring themes of family, capitalism, poverty and trauma, the movie changed perceptions about the Black experience in America.”
– Kamryn Ashli, ESSENCE
“It remains as one of the definitive ‘hood classics’ of all-time, but its importance is also found in the harsh realities that the film sheds light on.”
– Preezy Brown, VIBE
